Rue's Games
by OnHerToes
Summary: What if Katniss hadn't survived the Hunger Games? What if Rue had had to fight and fend for herself? Rue herself would have to become the Mockingjay.
1. Chapter 1: Katniss

**Author's Note: This is a fanfiction I wrote last year, I hope you like it!  
****It is from Rue's point of view, and begins part of the way through Chapter 16 in "The Hunger Games" (in my copy, it starts on page 257).**

"You be careful," I say to her.

"You too," Katniss says. She heads in the direction of the Careers' food stash and I am on my own again.

I decide to wait a few minutes before I light the fires: Katniss wouldn't go near the food until the Careers had left even if they were there when she reached their area. I decide to spend a long time on the third fire; I'll it so big that if they didn't see the first two, they will definitely see that one.

After what I think is half an hour or an hour later though I have no way to tell, I light the first fire. I move quickly to the next fire, even though I know that the Careers won't reach me for another few minutes. I am not sure when to light the second, as I don't want to give the Careers time to find me, but I also don't want to use up the fires too quickly for Katniss to finish her job. Thinking quickly, I just go ahead and light it. With the trees, it may take them longer to find me. I can hear their voices this time, and it scares me so I climb a tree and travel to the third fire by jumping from tree to tree.

When I hear the explosion, I know Katniss had succeeded in destroying their supplies.

The Careers will be on their way back to their camp now to see what happened. It is safe to go back to my and Katniss's base. I go back via the trees, it is safer. I see a boy from District 1, who seems to have made a trap. I would have been caught and killed if I had travelled by land.

I see a mockingjay, so I whistle the four note tune. I hear it echo from bird to bird going further away. I repeat it a few times when I hear other mockingjays o make sure she hears it. She doesn't reply, but I'm not worried yet.

I stay in the tree for hours, whistling every now and then to see if she replies. In the evening, she still has not returned. From the top of the tree, it is easy to see the death roll. I am eager to see who has died today, to see if any Katniss killed anyone. The seal of the Capitol appears, then a boy from District 3. No Careers then. An unfamiliar face from District 10 appears in the sky, then the face of Katniss.

Katniss.

It hadn't occurred to me she could have destroyed their food supply and still have been affected by the explosion until now.

She is gone. And I am alone. Even more so than before.


	2. Chapter 2: Rescue

The next day, I go back to the place where the Careers had had their food. Sure enough, they've moved on to somewhere else. I try to find some things that may have survived the explosion, knives and such, but there is nothing left. Either someone already came scavenging, or nothing escaped the explosion.

For a second I think that maybe Katniss was killed by a Career instead of being killed by the explosion. This makes me angry; I would rather have killed her myself than for her to be tortured and cut apart by the horrible tributes from District 2. When I see the blood splatters and dent on the tree, I know for sure it was the impact from the explosion that killed her.

The blood makes me throw up, and I hope none of the cameras are positioned on me at this point, but of course they are. A silver parachute floats down next to me.

The throwing up seems to have gained me the sympathy vote. This won't work for long, but just make me seem weak, constantly weeping over Katniss. I decide to take advantage of it while I can and look in the parachute.

It's a packet of baby wipes and a packet of breath mints. While I'm grateful as I clean myself up, I feel that they are just poking fun at me. Otherwise they would have sent something worthwhile, like water or food. I wish I could have been there when she died, and done something meaningful. I could have hugged her, or sang to her, but instead I threw up on the ground where she died. I feel guilty. I can't stay here.

I go back into the forest, tucking the mints and wipes into my backpack. I decide not to go back to our clearing; if anyone thinks we went there, they might wait there and attack me at my weakest. I don't think I can bear an attack at this point.

I climb a tree and find a big branch. I still have Katniss's sleeping bag, so I could sleep if I wanted. But sleep was dangerous, especially in the day when the bag's orange colour is bright and obvious. So I just sit. Waiting for something to happen.

Waiting for Katniss to save me. Even waiting for Thresh. Or anyone else.

No one who will ever come.

The last thing I would ever have guessed to rescue me was the Capitol. But it did.

"There has been a rule change. Both tributes form the same district will be declared winner if they are the last two alive." Just in case we didn't hear, he repeats it.

Thresh can help me. We can both win. I barely know him, but it can work.

I regain my hope, possibly foolishly, but if I die, I don't want to die alone.

**Author's Note: These first few chapters were written when I was fairly inexperienced with fanfiction so they're mostly me getting into the story. Drop me a comment to tell me what you think or if there's anything I could improve on!**


	3. Chapter 3: Peeta

I tear through the wood.

I have to find Thresh.

I run past the girl Katniss had referred to as Foxface, the small red-headed girl. She hasn't killed anyone yet. She isn't a threat. I think I catch her waving at me as I pass, friendly in a strange way as at least one of us will not survive the week.

I slow to a walk, breathing hard. I'm not going to find him like this. For all I know he could be running around like me, in the opposite direction perhaps.

I find a stream and walk along the sides, scattered with mud and leaves. To my surprise, the leaves speak.

"Ow," they say.

I lift my foot and see a face.

"Peeta?" I asked.

"Are you the girl from District 11?" he replies.

"Yes. I was with Katniss."

"Lucky girl."

I wasn't entirely sure what to say to that, but try to continue. "Until she-" I bite my lip.

"I saw the sky. I heard the announcement too. I suppose you're looking for your District partner. He went that way," Peeta nods to the right, "Just after the announcement, I think. He didn't see me. Probably looking for you."

"Thanks," I say. "Sorry about Katniss. I didn't know her as well as you did."

"Come closer so the cameras don't hear," Peeta said. I am reluctant to, in case he tries to kill me, but why was he helping me if he was going to kill me? I lean down.

"Katniss and I were trying something," he whispered, "This star-cross'd lovers thing. Not real love or anything, but it works. It got District 12 noticed. It won't work for us now. On my own, I mean nothing. Only when Katniss was here did anyone care about us. The Capitol will get bored and will want a new couple. Give it a try; you might get sent something." Distant shouting makes him stop.

I get up to go. As I get up, I notice that his leg is bleeding.

"Are you ok?"

He snorted. "Do you mean do I want you to finish me off?"

I blush. "No."

"I'll probably die. Doesn't matter. Katniss is gone already. I might as well."

"You just said it wasn't…"

He smiles sadly, so I can barely see his face. I don't know whether he was playing along for the cameras, or whether he really feels there is no meaning to his life.

"Go. If anyone has to win, I want it to be you. Katniss would have wanted it too, I bet. "Rue" means regret. Make sure the Capitol regrets making these games."


	4. Chapter 4: Ally

I run in the direction of Thresh. I could hear at least two people were coming towards Peeta, and I guessed that the only alliance left would be the two District 2 Careers, who now knew they could both win.

There must not have been much time between my meeting with Peeta and Thresh passing him. When I can't hear the voices anymore, I call his name softly.

I almost scream as a hand appears from behind a tree and covers my mouth. I look up, and see Thresh.

He looks nervous and cautious, so I don't say anything. I couldn't have, anyway.

A cannon goes off. His hands lower.

"That was Peeta, I think," I whisper. He shrugs, and begins to walk, waving his hand to show me to follow. I suppose we're allies now.

It takes me a several minutes to realise we're going in a circle, back to where Peeta was.

He isn't here anymore. "Why are we back here?" I ask.

"Why would we stay where someone dies?" They are the first words he has said to me since we got to the arena. "It's illogical. That's why we're here."

"There's a cave along here," he adds and points. We go into the cave and sit down. I show him the contents of my backpack, and he shows me the contents of his. He has many purification tablets, and lots of wheat.

I tell him quietly about Peeta's idea. He raises his eyebrow.

"Seven year age gap," he mutters.

"That makes you 19. People only compete in the Games if they're 18. Stop exaggerating."

He sighs.

"It should have been my last year. I thought-" he stops. I knew what he was going to say. He thought he was safe. "If they'd had the reaping a week later, I wouldn't have even been in the running. My birthday was three days ago. I even got sent a cake. A present from my District. The nicest thing I ate since I got here. It's all gone, by the way," he adds, in answer to my unspoken question about if there was any left.

"It would be controversial as well, then," I say. "The Capitol likes controversial. I mean, they kidnap twenty-four teenagers every year and make them kill each other. Who cares if I kiss someone twice my age?"

He laughs. "Maybe. Focus on surviving for now. If we get desperate we'll try it. We aren't short on supplies, and we're fairly well hidden."

Suddenly I blurt out something I've wanted to say for a long time.

"I want to win."

"So does everyone else," he assures me.

"I'm not like them. I want to win but I don't want to kill anyone."

"Believe me, none of them do either."

I think of the Careers, of how District 2 trains them from the time they're born to fight and kill, and I know he's wrong. Some people are born to kill.

"Happy birthday, by the way."


	5. Chapter 5: Disease

**Author's Note: Sorry I haven't been posting daily like I originally aimed to do. I had a seven hour flight home yesterday/today, so the past couple of days have been a little hectic! I'll try to post more reliably every day now that I'm home.**

Thresh and I curl up in the sleeping bag that night.

"Just because it's freezing outside," he says.

The next morning, there is an announcement. Claudius Templesmith's voice is loud and clear and echoes through the cave eerily.

"As usual, these Games would be nothing without a feast or two. Now hold on. Some of you may already be declining my invitation. But this is no ordinary feast. Each of you needs something desperately. Each of you will find that something in a backpack, marked with your district number, at the Cornucopia at dawn. Think hard about refusing to show up. For some of you, this will be your last chance."

I turn to Thresh.

"We don't need anything. Neither of us are hurt or infected, and we have enough food for a couple of days."

He doesn't say anything.

"Thresh? There isn't anything, right?"

He reaches into my pocket, and pulls out something I have never seen before. A long sort of needle or syringe.

He asks me if I know what it is. I don't.

He asks me if I've heard of diabetes. I have.

"I have diabetes. This is my insulin pen. After every meal, I have to inject it into my stomach or leg in order for the sugar in my body to digest properly. My family tried to send me one, but I wasn't allowed to take it as a token in case I used it to stab someone. Fortunately, I managed to get this needle at the bloodbath. There was also a supply of insulin, but I'm running out. That's what will be in our backpack."

"How much do you have left?" I ask, panic rising.

"Since the meals are small, I can probably have three more meals. But after that, I won't be able to survive."

We have to go to the feast. And I wasn't planning to let him go alone.

"We have until tomorrow morning," I say, "We can eat a big meal this evening. Even if it uses up your insoles-"

"Insulin."

"Yes. Even if it does, we'll be ready for the feast. If there even is a fight. If we get there early, we can just sneak in and grab the backpack. By the way," I speak nervously. "Is there any chance I could- you know- catch diabetes from you?"

"No. I was born with it. But also, it doesn't go away. I don't have a test kit, so I don't know when I need food or insulin top ups. I hope there's one in the backpack as well. I think there will be. The Capitol doesn't want to see me die quietly; they want me to be killed by someone else. They like a good show."

The two of us leave the cave to search for food. I am worried we won't be able to eat any meat because Katniss's bows were destroyed along with her, but Thresh has a knife. He goes further away from the cave to search for rabbits, but I stay closer and pick the berries I know aren't poisonous.

We have already skipped breakfast, so we eat lunch. Thresh has managed to find and catch not only a rabbit, but a fox too. We decide to save the meat for dinner, and eat the berries I picked and the remaining food left over from when Katniss and I shared it out.

"Who's left?" Thresh asks me as we're finishing.

I count on my fingers.

"One, that girl Katniss called Foxface from District 5. Three, Cato and that other girl…"

"Clove, I think."

"Three, Cato and Clove. Four, the boy from District 10. Six, me and you."

"The victors will be us or the Careers. I don't think any people on their own will live."

Though he says this, his gaze shows he doesn't know how well we are going to do in the feast.

But if we don't succeed at the feast, there's no way Thresh can survive for much longer.


	6. Chapter 6: Feast

We eat before it is dark and get into the sleeping bag straight after. It is really cold, even though it is a tight squeeze for the two of us in the sleeping bag. I keep feeling, falsely, that after this we'll have won. It feels like that, but it's not. We'll have just gotten past an obstacle. There are four more deaths before we are safe.

Neither of us sleep very well. Whenever I close my eyes, I see Katniss's face. Thresh tosses and turns, and leaves the sleeping bag after a few hours to give me a better chance of sleep. I don't.

When we get up before sunrise, we realise that we planned yesterday's meals, but didn't think about this morning. There is a little meat left, but Thresh doesn't trust it so we get rid of it away from the cave so no one can trace us. We pick a few more berries, being careful not to take too many from one bush. I eat a few of the mints I was sent to give me a little more energy, but Thresh decides not to so he can save his insulin.

In case we fail.

He gives me his knife.

"I can probably handle Cato or anyone else without my knife, but I'm not sure about you. You're the smallest out of everyone."

I take the knife. But I still don't want to have to kill anyone.

As we are leaving, a cannon goes off.

"Who was that?" I ask.

"We'll soon find out."

As we get to the Cornucopia, I see a long table, laid out in front of it with several bags on it. The ones marked 5 and 1 are medium sized and green. Our one and District 2's ones are black, theirs large and ours small.

I am scared to run over as I suspect everyone else is waiting and watching for the first person to go, like a class full of students waiting for the first person to hand in an exam paper. Not that anyone had taken many exams in my District.

Foxface seems not to care whether she is exposed, and runs right up in front of everyone, grabbing her bag without stopping like a relay runner.

"It must be the District 1 boy that was killed," said Thresh. "He wouldn't have been able to take on Clove and Cato himself. And I'm pretty sure he could have killed Foxface, she hasn't killed anyone yet I don't think. Take the District 1 bag too. Even if he's alive, there's two of us and one of him."

"_I'm_ going?" I ask anxiously.

"If you go, everyone will think you're on your own. If they attack you, I'll protect you." He looks me in the eye. "I promise."

I believe him.

I run as fast as I can. I reach out to grab our bag, but stop.

Clove is coming out of the Cornucopia. She must have slept there, or got there in the early morning.

"Too bad Lovergirl isn't here anymore," she sneers.

I pull out Thresh's knife.

"Ooh, got a butter knife? Know how to use it? Course not, they don't feed you anything in 11, do they?" She pulls out her knife. More like a sword. "Maybe I should show you how."

"Thresh!" I shriek.

I step away from Clove and turn quickly, to see Thresh writhing on the ground where he was standing a minute ago. His side is bleeding through his clothes, and Cato is walking towards me.

Now I don't know where to turn. Thresh is injured, Clove and Cato are on either side of me. I pray that the Gamemakers with unleash some sort of beast to scare them away, but with a stand off like this they won't need any more help to get more television viewers. My last hope is Foxface, but I know she is long gone. She wouldn't help me anyway; she's trying to survive just as much as I am.

I duck down as Cato swipes his hand at my head and hop out of the way of both of them. I see Thresh has stood up. He can't have been hurt too badly, which is a relief. If I could just make it to the trees, I'd be safe. But I don't know if Thresh will be.

"Thresh! Go!" I yell. My heart sinks as Cato is about to go after him as he staggers away. But Clove interrupts him.

"Leave him! We can kill her at least and save him for later!"

I know I have to distract them until Thresh is far enough away that they won't be able to find him. I don't know how long that will be. What if he collapses and can't go any further?

I run around the Cornucopia to the lower side. They both had their guards down when Thresh was here, but now they only have to worry about me. I only makes it easier that they are very good fighters. My skills, however, lie in climbing, so I climb up the Cornucopia. It gradually gets higher so I do too.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do when I get to the top.

I'm lucky that neither of them is particularly clever, or else one would have stayed at the bottom in case I fell and the other would have followed me. They both followed me, which means I can jump down.

Unfortunately for me, it is a lot higher from the top than it looks from the bottom.

I could try to land on the table with the backpacks, but I don't know if I'd be able to land on it properly or just trip over it in mid air. I've jumped down from trees higher than this, but never in life-threatening situations so it wasn't as nerve wracking before.

Cato and Clove seem to be a little scared of heights, and are now crawling on their hands and knees. Clove is still holding her knife. She swipes at my foot, and suddenly I don't get to decide how to jump.

I just fall.

**I left you on a bit of a cliffhanger, mhwahaha.  
I generally like to respond to all comments, but I'm still getting the hang of reading "reviews" so I find it hard to reply to them. Sorry about that!**


	7. Chapter 7: Normal

Cat-like, I land on both feet. Un-cat-like, I stumble straight away because one of my feet hurts.

I have about a minute to spare, because neither Cato nor Clove seem brave enough to jump down after me. I scramble up, being careful not to put weight on my right foot. I limp over to the table, grabbing the '11' and '1' bags, but also the '2' bag. It is very heavy and slows me down a bit, but Cato and Clove don't seem to be making any advances towards me at the moment.

I half hop, half limp back into the forest. Cato screams after me:

"We'll get you soon! Both of you! We will be this year's victors!"

I know they are wrong.

I would have liked to travel back but going from tree to tree, but I don't think my foot could handle it so I walk on my toes.

I am relieved to find Thresh back at the cave. He is curled up in the sleeping bag. His eyes flick open as he hears me come in. I reach down and hug him. He pulls his arms out and hugs me tightly.

"I'm so sorry," he whispers. "I wanted to help you but I couldn't. It was horrible. While I was waiting for you to come back, I didn't know whether you were still alive or not."

"I am," I say, "I'm not going to die here."

"You won't. This is a promise that I will keep."

"I brought you some stuff."

I give him our bag. He opens it and inspects the contents.

"A few days worth of insulin and a test kit. This gives us a deadline. We have to have won after a few days or I'll run out again. They won't give us another feast."

"That's not all."

I open the green bag and find a strangely shaped metal thing. Thresh recognizes it as a device you push into a tree and a small stream of water comes out. This will be useful for when our iodine runs out. I open the black bag and find some body armour. I wonder why they needed it, as there have been no beasts so far and none of the tributes left are very violent. They must have been expecting something big for the finale.

I take off my shoe and show Thresh the cut on my foot. It is not very deep, but Clove's knife went straight through the sole of my shoe and we have no way of fixing it. Thresh tells me that he looked at the cut on his side, and it isn't very deep either. He gives me a water container he got hold of during the bloodbath, and I go outside to the cave to try to get some water from a tree, still walking on my toes.

I push the sharp end of the device into a tree and am surprised at how quickly the water comes out. I fill up the bottle and bring it back to Thresh. We each drink some then Thresh shows me how to clean out the cut on my heel.

"I looked into first aid when we were in training," he explains.

He won't let me see the cut on his hip, and he cleans it himself. He says it isn't very bad, but there was a lot of blood earlier, so I'm not so sure. I think it's because he doesn't want me to worry about him. It occurs to me that this may be why he didn't mention the diabetes at first either.

My stomach growls, so Thresh stands up carefully, testing out how painful standing was. I give him back the knife I didn't use. I'm not sure if he should be hunting again, but he seems up for it and he is almost as good a hunter as Katniss was.

I am starting to feel a sort of sense of normality, picking berries and random root vegetables that I can find while Thresh hunts for rabbits. It's amazing how fast you get used to the Games, and how quickly they can end for you.


	8. Chapter 8: Fire

We sleep reasonably well that night. It wasn't particularly cold and we felt we had less to worry about.

Hours passed in the morning, but nothing interesting it thrown at us by the Gamemakers. We have a feeling something important is happening somewhere else that has the cameras' attention.

Sure enough, about an hour after we have eaten lunch, a cannon goes off.

"Oh well," I say, "I was sort of hoping Foxface would live longer."

"It was probably her fault she died," Thresh collects water from a tree, taking a few sips every now and then. "She should have stayed away from Clove and Cato."

"If she had come near us she would have been safe, right? We would have helped her."

Thresh looks troubled.

"I would have anyway," I say.

He sighs. "Rue… What do you think would happen if we killed off both the Careers and it was only us and her? We couldn't be her ally then, but since we had helped her we would feel bad killing her too."

I look away.

"I'm sorry," he says. He doesn't need to, though. I know it's true.

Thresh decides to go and look for more food. He says he is bored of berries and rabbits, and he is going to see what grains he can bring us from a field he stayed in before we teamed up. While he's gone, I go back to the Cornucopia to see if there is any food there, but there's nothing. The table is gone, even the grass were I fell has been trimmed so my blood is no longer visible. I wonder why. But then I start wondering why I'm here at all, why anyone is here, and it scares me so I go back to our cave. I have not been waiting long before I see Thresh, running as fast as he can, dodging the trees.

"Fire!" he shouts to me. "Get as much as you can into the backpack! We have to move!"

I run into the cave and shove everything into the backpacks. I don't know what to do with the armour, so I put a set of it on. It's too big, but I decide to bring it in case it's useful. Thresh grabs the backpack and slings on the other armour.

The two of us run, in what direction we are not sure. Thresh tells me, gasping for breath, that the fire isn't like the fire we had on one of the first days. It is spreading in a way it couldn't if the Gamemakers had made it. If they'd made it, it would stop at the boundaries of the sections of the Arena. This one is spreading everywhere, rapidly. He thinks a tribute started it.

All the woods are unfamiliar now, and it's getting colder and darker. But now the fire is catching up with us, so we have to get out of the woods.

The Cornucopia sounds like a good bet, but if someone is trying to flush us out then that's were they'll want us: out in the open.

Thresh stops running. I realise he has stopped at the edge of the forest.

"Look," he says. Stretching out almost to the horizon there is a huge field. There is a slight gap between the field and the trees, so I know that it will not spread and we'll be safe here because no one will be able to see us. At the horizon, I see green. Maybe trees or grass. I wonder what would happen if we walked to the end of the arena. Could we get out?

We run into the field, and sure enough, the fire cannot reach us. We go further in, and try to set up a sort of camp. I take off the armour because I am hot and sweaty.

We have little food, but we break off a few wheat stalks and chew on them. It makes us less hungry somehow. We still have everything essential, the sleeping bag, the insulin, a bottle of water and the water extractor, though how much use it will be with less trees I'm not sure.

The death review of the day begins and we both look up to the sky. Instead of being greeted with a sneaky grin from Foxface, there is a mugshot-like picture of Cato trying to smile, but failing. I doubt he would smile even if he'd won.

"Cato died. That means Foxface killed him. How did she do that?" I ask.

Thresh shrugs. "It could have been Clove."

I laugh. "How unlikely is that?" But deep down, I know that they both had it in them to kill each other. I'm surprised they both lived long enough to get into the Games without picking fights at home.

The national anthem plays, and Thresh sings along with alternative words, singing about how our country will fall in a few years because there will be no children left to carry it on. He sings as if it was supposed to be funny, and it probably was if he made it up at home with his friends, but now he sings it bitterly. Like he's starting to believe it.

"There are stars in the sky," he says when it has finished. "That means we're still in Panem."

I laugh. "Not necessarily. We could be in any country except that the hovercraft ride only took a few minutes."

"Sometimes I forget," he looks up at the sky.

I know how he feels. We all do.


	9. Chapter 9: Foxface

It occurred to us the next morning that the fire wouldn't actually have reached the inside of the cave, and we'd have probably been safe from it. We decide that it's probably wise to move around more We had already stayed there for a couple of days, and it would be easier to find us that way.

I laugh as I realise that Thresh is the only boy left, outnumbered three to one. It's unusual for this to happen as the boys are normally more brutal and not as wimpy. He is probably the oldest tribute ever as well. I must be one of the youngest. I wonder how he sees the Games, as he must have a totally different view to me about them.

He suddenly panics. Most of his insulin has gone. We look to see if anything else has disappeared, and discover that a little bit of everything has been taken. At first we suspect Clove, we know she can't forage for food like we can, but decide that stealth isn't her strong point. If she had tried to take anything, she would have killed us at the same time. It makes me sort of happy, knowing that Foxface is still coping, even on her own.

But I didn't realise something.

"When I got all that insulin, I had enough to last me up to about a week. What I have now will last me about a day." Now I, too, am panicking.

"We have to find out who took it!" my voice quivers. "Or else…"

"If I don't get it back, the only other option is to make sure that the other two are killed in the next day or so. If a hovercraft picks us up as victors, they'll tend to whatever injuries or health issues we have."

We both venture back into the burnt woods to look for Foxface. She could have killed us when she took our things, probably when we were asleep, yet she didn't. This makes me think we shouldn't kill her.

It takes us less time than we expected to find her.

She is slumped against a tree stump, breathing heavily. Thresh's pen is in her hand. I don't think he even realised it was gone.

Thresh snatches it from her hand.

"Three hundred units? Do you know what this is?"

"Adrenalin?" she guesses. Her voice chokes. "Morphine? Cyanide?"

"It will kill you within an hour! Even I couldn't survive all that in one go!"

When she said cyanide, I realise that she doesn't care whether she survives or not.

"She knew that if she lived she wanted to be happier. If the stuff she injected into herself killed her, it would be better than what she was going through."

She nods. I've gotten it loosely correct. She was ready to give up.

Her eyes flicker.

"What's your name?" I ask. I want to know her name before she dies. Let her die as a person, not as the girl with the face like a fox. Her hair, once braided so neatly, is now a fire engulfing her neck.

She coughs, then falls to her left.

"She isn't dead. She just fainted. There's nothing we can do for her now." Thresh tells me. He picks up his insulin pen. He takes the cap off. The tip of it has blood on it. Thresh carefully takes the needle off, he has spares, and puts it into Foxface's pocket. It will be picked up along with her by the hovercraft.

We leave so she can die in peace. I sing the notes Katniss and I used to communicate to Foxface as we leave. If I hadn't become Thresh's ally, I would have considered her. But instead, she died and I don't even know her name.


	10. Chapter 10: Clove

**Author's Note: I know that I said I'd try to update every day and it's been two weeks since I posted anything, sorry about that! Last week I started school again and that took up some time and I also ended up going on a short school trip (with no internet). I'm going to try to post regularly again now!**

Thresh has one day.

Foxface used up over a week's worth of insulin. All that Thresh has left is what he had before the feast. One or two more deaths could determine who wins these Games. Considering the Capitol will want to keep the level of action (and their viewing rates) high, we are expecting something big and bad for the "season finale", and we're expecting it soon.

I put the armor on. It is far too big for me, so I pack up everything into my backpack and put it on underneath. The armor is surprisingly light, light but hopefully strong. Thresh puts the rest of the armor on. It is almost the perfect size for him, because he and Cato were almost the same size. We eat most of our remaining food. It is a subtle sign to the Gamemakers that we are done. I hope they get it.

We do everything we can to act as a catalyst for the end of the Games. After finishing our food (including the mints), Thresh takes insulin (in his leg so he doesn't have to take off the armor). Our plan is to go to the Cornucopia, because it seems like a good place for the finale, and to light a fire, so that Clove knows we are there. We will have to use some of the crops from the field, because there is very little wood left after the initial fire.

It turns out we didn't have to make a fire. Clove is already there. She sits at the opening of the Cornucopia. She is thinner than I have ever seen her, and I only saw her a few days ago. I bet she was the one who set fire to the trees, in anger probably. Only then did the realisation that without the supplies from the bloodbath, Cato or the trees, she has no chance of survival.

Seeing our armor - _her _armor - she glares.

"I could wipe the two of you out with one blow," she hisses, perhaps because she is trying to be dramatic but more likely because she doesn't have enough energy to talk properly, "but I won't because the Capitol will think up something much more painful than I ever could."

"Probably not," Thresh snorts.

Right on cue, we hear scuffling coming in our direction. A small herd of wolves run towards us. I scramble up the Cornucopia. It reminds me of my last struggle with Clove and Cato. Except this time, we have the advantage. Thresh climbs up after me. He hands me his knife, as I am slower than him. He is stronger than me so he can move faster with the armor on. I wonder if I'd be better off without the armor. Speed has always been my talent; they can't kill me if they can't catch me.

Clove hasn't even tried to escape. As soon as the wolves appeared, when Thresh and I started climbing, she began to walk towards them. I notice that they each have a collar on, and each collar has a number and a symbol. It doesn't take any of us long to figure out what the numbers mean. Each wolf represents a dead tribute: the fur and eye color is the same as the hair and eye colors of the tributes. It makes me shiver. I see "Katniss", a brown wolf with a black coal-like collar. "Peeta" stays at her side the whole time. I hope that the wolves don't have the actual minds of the tributes. I couldn't fight any of them like that.

"Clove!" I yell. "Come back! They'll kill you!"

"Why do you care?" asks Thresh. "If they kill her, we win."

I jump down from the Cornucopia. This time, I am not frightened. I run after Clove. I hear Thresh shouting for me to come back.

I pull off Clove's armor and put it on the ground.

"Take it!" I shout from a safe distance away. The weight is literally lifted from my shoulders, and I feel mobile again. I begin to head back to the Cornucopia, but stop. I want to know what Clove is playing at.

"Cato!" she calls.

A massive wolf leaps put from behind the others. He is easily the biggest out of them all. He stalks towards her.

"Cato!" she cries, tears streaming down her cheeks. She begins to walk towards him. I am confused, and I know Thresh is too. Can't she tell it isn't really him? Even if it was, it doesn't think the way he does. It's an animal, nothing more.

"I'm so sorry," she weeps. She is so close now. She reaches out to hug the wolf. I close my eyes, but too late. Too late to stop myself from seeing her die. From seeing "Cato's" jaws slice her head almost off. A cannon goes off. A hole opens up in the ground and all the wolves jump in before the hole disappears. "Katniss" takes one last look at me then jumps with the rest of them. I know I'm going to throw up again. And I do.

I wish we had kept a couple of mints. At least we still have the baby wipes.

Thresh climbs down and squeezes me tightly.

"We won," he says, softly. He opens the bag on my back and gives me a wipe.

"Thanks," I sniff.

Something feels unfinished. There is no celebratory announcement. Nothing telling us to be happy.

Somehow, everything always goes wrong at what should be the best times. This is one of those times.


	11. Chapter 11: Thresh

"Greetings to the final contestants of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games. The earlier revision has been revoked. Closer examination of the rule book has disclosed that only one winner may be allowed," Claudius Templesmith's voice rings out over the landscape. "Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favour."

Thresh and I look at each other. All that has happened, and now it comes down to us killing each other. He knows I can't kill him, so he is going to be the victor.

He takes the knife from me.

"Do it, Thresh," I say.

"How many entries did you put into the reaping?" Thresh asks. It surprises me.

"Eleven," I say. "I have five brothers and sisters. None of them are old enough to be reaped, so I have to provide food for them. My grandparents live with me, too. Add up my parents, grandparents and siblings and it means I have ten extra entries."

"I had seven," Thresh says. This is surprising: most people his age have at least twenty. "My family hates me. I live with my grandmother and sister. I don't help them at all. My diabetes makes it hard for everyone. Everyone told me when I was 12 that if I was chosen as a tribute, they wouldn't come to say goodbye. They didn't. Only my cousin did, he's the only one who cares about me. The guards told me that my uncle took him away before he could get into my room. I saw the people coming to say goodbye to you, Rue. All your brothers and sisters, all of your friends and the rest of your family. District 11 will benefit no matter which one of us wins. Let it be you. You have so much more to support than I do."

I don't understand him.

"But I can't kill you."

He smiles sadly. "I know. Close your eyes, Rue. I don't want you to throw up again."

"I'm scared that if I close my eyes you'll be gone forever," I say.

"I'm going to do this whether or not you watch," he replies. Do what?

He rolls up his sleeve.

"It's good I paid attention in biology. Bright red and spurting. That's an artery. Death within a minute, I think."

"Stop!" I shout.

It's too late. He made the cut. It is bright red and spurting like a fountain.

I count the seconds.

Five, six, seven.

He is on the ground. Not collapsed, just sitting. As if he doesn't care.

Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen.

"Make it stop!" I am crying again.

Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty.

"It doesn't stop. It will keep on going until I have died."

Thirty-eight, thirty nine, forty.

He has gone pale. There isn't much time left.

Forty-five, forty-six, forty-seven.

"I love you, Thresh. Not like Katniss and Peeta. You're like a brother to me." I sit down next to him and hug him tightly. Blood spurts onto my clothes, but I don't care.

Fifty-four, fifty-five, fifty-six.

"I love you too, Rue. You cheated the Games. You won without becoming a killer. No one died because of you."

Sixty two. No one except him.

He is gone. A cannon goes off. I almost don't hear. I can hear in the distance someone congratulating District Eleven and someone called Rue, winning the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games. That isn't me. I can't have won. I manage not to throw up. Thresh isn't with me anymore. We should have tried to think of a way to make them let us both live. I'm sure it's possible.

A hovercraft arrives.

"We have to take him away," a gentle voice says. "Come with us."

I cling onto Thresh. I can't ever let go. He shouldn't have died like this.

Two people try to pry us apart. I can't hold on any longer but I grab his knife. I stab it into the hand that is holding my shoulder.

Hushed voices around me whine.

"Did she just-"

"Never been violent before-"

"Drug her-"

I still have the knife. I won't let them drug me. Am I still on the cameras? Live? I hope so.

I roll up my own sleeve, ready for the first time ever to kill someone. But just then, there is a sharp pain in my leg and everything goes black.


	12. Chapter 12: Recovery

I wake up slowly, and am still a little drowsy. I'm plugged into a drip and my mother is beside the bed.

"Rue! Welcome back!" she sounds relieved.

I feel a little empty inside, but not angry like I was before. I can't speak.

"You were stung by a stray Tracker-Jacker. Not enough poison to hallucinate, but enough to go a little wild. They drugged you pretty hard because you kept moving after you were unconscious, so you might not be able to speak for a while."

I nod to show her I understand, even though I can't say anything.

For a few minutes, she talks to me as if we were at home. She talks about how my brothers let some horses loose because they were mad about me leaving, and she tells me about my youngest sister starting work. She tells me funny things that happened and interesting things, acting as if I had been away for a holiday, and we are just getting reacquainted.

When I can talk, the first thing I say is that I love her. She throws her arms around me and squeezes me tight, knocking over a glass of water on the table next to me. It smashes, and an Avox appears at the door to clean it up. I choke out a thank you as she puts another in the smashed one's place, then leaves.

My mother leans closer to me.

"What was it like?"

Which part? Leaving my family? Parading around like an idiot? Knowing that if I moved the tiniest bit I would explode? Hiding so I wasn't ripped to shreds by the Careers? Katniss dying? Thresh dying? Winning?

"Terrifying," I sum it up in a simple word. There is no point in telling her what I've been up to, she probably saw every moment on TV. "How much was shown at the end?"

"They showed you saying you loved Thresh, and the cannon going off. Then they cut it and said you were a little upset and they were going to check you out. Then they called me up and I came here, they told me about the Tracker-Jacker sting and here I am. You were asleep for over a day. It's midnightish about now. If you're awake now, everyone will want you up again tomorrow."

She sighs.

"They showed me what happened that wasn't on the television. Are you still angry?"

I shake my head.

"I was miserable and I still am, but I'm not mad anymore. It must have been the poison. I won't try to kill anyone, if that's what you mean."

"Good," she smiles. "Go to sleep. You have a long day ahead of you."


	13. Chapter 13: Preparation

The next day, Seeder comes to visit me in the morning. She congratulates me on my triumph. She jokes that now we'll be neighbours. It's a nice thought, I guess. She knows I'm still upset, though I'm trying my best to hide it.

Everyone is really nice to me. It's because I'm twelve, and look young and innocent. I guess I am. I certainly don't feel like it.

Seeder eats lunch with me and my mother, explaining to me what is going to happen next. Tonight we watch the summary show. Then we go to the president's mansion for the Victory Banquet. Tomorrow is an interview with Caesar Flickman. Then we go home.

It takes me a second to remember what she means. Back to District 11. Back to my tiny three room house, quickly gather up anything we wish to keep, then go and live in the Victor's Village. I have a feeling it won't be that simple.

"I'm sorry, Rue," Seeder says.

"For what?" I ask.

"I barely sent you or Thresh anything. It was impossible to get sponsors for you: no one thought you were worth the money. They didn't think you'd make it." She looks guilty. "Even I didn't, at some points. And to be fair, you wouldn't have except that you took advantage of other people."

My cheeks are suddenly burning. "Advantage?"

She nods. "You didn't want to be alone, did you? That's because you knew you wouldn't make it without someone stronger."

It's true, when I think about it.

"But I helped Thresh and Katniss as well! I showed Katniss the right food to eat, and helped Thresh get his insulin!"

She shrugs. "I suppose. Let's move on."

After we have eaten, Seeder sends my mother away for a while and brings in my prep team to sort me out for the show later. I can't for the life of me remember their names; they each tell me several times, too fast for me to understand. They are fancy Capitol names, which match their fancy Capitol looks. They clean me up, hide my cuts and bruises and do my hair. My stylist comes in to give me the dress he made, and they help me get into it. How I long to have Katniss's wonderful stylist, Cinna. He would given me something that suits me. Instead, I am given a long, tight, red gown. It would have been beautiful on someone aged eighteen or older, but on me looked as though they were forcing my age upwards.

Everything moves too fast for me from that point onwards. I am bustled to the stage, where I wait underneath for my turn to go on. First my prep team goes up, then my escort, then the stylist, then Seeder, then finally, me. As the escort is rising onto the platform, Seeder pulls me aside and whispers in my ear.

"I didn't say this earlier; I didn't want to worry your mother. I hear President Snow isn't too pleased we have a completely innocent victor. He and the rest of the government would prefer someone more ruthless. I'm a little worried something is going to happen; Caesar will try to pick a fight or something like that. I don't know if all of the Tracker-Jacker poison is gone, but if it isn't then you might still lash out. Try to stay calm." She hugs me. "I'm only warning you. I'm sure everything will go just fine. Good bye for now; good luck."

It's her turn to go up.

I stand about idly, until someone ushers me to the podium that will raise me up. It's weird, like having enough food to eat was.

The bright lights startle me, but soon I regain my confidence and grin at the crowd. Caesar Flickman grins back and beckons me over to the Victor's Chair. I sit in it, and its size compared to me makes me feel safe and hidden.

"I'm sure I talk on behalf of everyone here, when I say that we were all terribly scared for you when you won. What happened?"

Keep calm, I think to myself. He's asking this because he's worried.

"I got stung by a Tracker-Jacker." There is an immediate reaction from the crowd, mostly gasps. "There must be a delay before they broadcast the Games so they cut me off. I'll talk about it during the interview."

Caesar smiles and I can tell that the Capitol has not told him to fight me. Does that mean something else will happen?

"I look forward to it. Now, on with the show!"


	14. Chapter 14: Show

I'm not sure I can handle watching everyone die again. I wasn't good with it before, and now I'm in front of a live audience, I'm embarrassed to react in case I cry or, worse, throw up. I wish that I had someone next to me. I'm not sure I can face it on my own.

The show is strange. Whoever puts together the highlights has to choose what sort of story to tell. This year, they tried to put together a love story. It's like someone started putting it together in hope that Katniss or Peeta would win, then guessed that Cato or Clove would win. I always thought they put the film together afterwards, but maybe they start while the Games are still going on.

There is a bit at the start is about before we were in the arena: its shows highlights from the reaping, chariots, scores and the interviews. Once we get into the arena, they show me escaping, but then move on and show footage of Katniss hiding in a tree when Peeta had supposedly betrayed her. There are more bits about Katniss and I do not turn up again until the Tracker-Jackers' nest. I was lucky enough to escape then.

Then they show Katniss and me hunting and sleeping together. It makes me happy; it reminds me of the happiest two days I spent in the arena. Or, as close as you get to "happy" in the arena. Then comes the part I'm not sure I'm ready for.

Katniss and I separate and there is a short clip of me lighting fires. I can see why they haven't shown much of me; I am not very interesting. She did the volunteering, probably the first in District 12, then she became the girl on fire, then she became a love interest for Peeta. All I ever was was the girl no one volunteered for, who gained a seven in training despite her size.

They the Careers leaving, then something I didn't know happened. Foxface hops about to reach the food the Careers had stashed. Katniss arrived just after she had gone. Katniss didn't see her little dance. Katniss just walked towards the food.

The explosion surprised me so much; I might have screamed. I'm not sure, because there was a simultaneous gasp from the audience.

Her foot was blown off, and she was flung against a tree. That explained the blood splattered tree. I began to cry, not bawling, but gentle tears trickling down my cheeks. I squeeze my hands into fists and try to control myself.

Then, of course, they showed me throwing up and meeting up with Thresh. They show Cato and Clove teaming up and it seems they had their own small romance, so I find most of it is boring from there on. The crowd, however, laughs and cries in all the right places, it's like they're automated.

The bit I sit up for is when Cato sets the forest on fire. Clove screams for him not to, but he ignores her. She comes up behind him and literally stabs him in the back.

So that's what happened. No wonder Clove was so guilty when she saw the wolves.

Foxface and Thresh's deaths are given in full. Even me being drugged is shown, although not me stabbing someone. Maybe I'll tell Caesar about that tomorrow. Maybe then I'll be the vicious victor they want, and the President will be satisfied.

When it is finished, Caesar wraps it up by talking about how love was in the air but it just wasn't to be, then he signs off. I wipe the tears from my eyes and manage to get up and pull off a real looking smile. The anthem plays and President Snow comes over to me with a little girl not much younger than me. She is holding a cushion with the crown on it. When he places it on my head, he smiles at me. But his eyes are angry, like I did something wrong by compete in the Games he makes mandatory. I wave at the audience, still smiling although now it is a little more real. Except for Snow, maybe winning won't be too hard.

Finally, I leave the stage to find Seeder.

She will take me to the Victory Banquet. There I will meet President Snow again. This time, he will have a chance to talk to me properly. And I'm sure he won't be too quick to congratulate me.


	15. Chapter 15: Friend

The confrontation I was scared for did not come at the Victor's Banquet. I tried to keep a low profile, which wasn't easy considering I am one of the most famous people in the country at the moment. It turns out I was very busy posing with the person who sponsored me when Katniss died (I was pretty embarrassed) and other people claiming to have sent me gifts: everyone wanted to think that they were the one that made me win. None of them did. Only Katniss and Thresh helped me.

Everyone jokes after ten o'clock, saying that its time for me to go to bed. They're making fun of my age, but nonetheless I am eager to get away from everyone when we leave at midnight.

However, I am not tired. I have slept for most of the time since I was in the Games, so all I want to do is run around. Outside. Free.

When I'm sure most people are asleep, I creep out of bed and carefully unlock and open the door. I tiptoe down the corridor to the stairs. The elevator is too loud. I walk up to the roof. I like being high up. Every now and then I turn quickly to make sure no one is following me, but I am alone. It somehow feels like I'm not. It makes me a little scared, but it's not like I'm in the Games anymore. No one would want to kill me now.

No one but Snow, that is.

The door to the roof is unlocked, which surprises me. I would have thought it would be kept locked so no tributes could ever commit suicide.

I walk out onto the roof, expecting darkness. Instead I am greeted with a thousand shining lights: mostly stars, but also a few lights dotted around the roof and a soft glow from the lit up streets below. I go over to the edge to look down.

I see a shadow appear on the railing, someone behind me. Before I can turn, a hand is over my mouth. The surprise reminds me of when I met Thresh in the arena.

When I see the person who is stopping me from shouting out, I almost faint.

The dark skinned boy looks almost exactly like him.

The only difference is that he is around my age. He has all the same features and the same strong sort of build. But he also looks a little friendlier, maybe doesn't keep so much to himself.

He lets go of me.

"Don't be scared."

"I'm not," I say. I can trust a young Thresh, I tell myself.

"I'm sorry I startled you. I'm Plough. Thresh was my cousin."

I don't know what to say, so I just murmur, "He helped a lot."

Plough tells me he wants to talk. Maybe be friends. So we do. We sit and talk. About the fields, about District 11, about the Games and Thresh, about the Capitol. It's odd; knowing and loving the same person and sharing that, then sharing the grief when they die: it can really bring people together. We already have so much in common.

At one point, he tells me that he is the one who tried to meet Thresh.

"I'm sorry," I say.

"For what?"

"That he... died."

"But you lived. And he was right about what he told you before it happened, he was difficult to take care of. He had to eat certain foods in certain amounts and always needed more insulin, it was very expensive so most of the family had to pitch in. Are you nervous about the interview tomorrow?"

I nod. "Very. I'm worried I'll start crying or I won't be able to answer a question. Also, apparently Snow doesn't like how I "conquered" the Games, so I'm not supposed to say certain things. Unfortunately, I don't know what those certain things are. I have to be careful what I say or I might end up in a tragic train crash on my way home."

He laughs.

"They don't want dead victors. The victors are their pawns."

"Very reassuring."

"Anyhow, don't worry about the interview," he continues. "Pretend you're talking to me."

"Why?"

"Because then it's like you're talking to a new friend. You're comfortable, yet not too crude or deep. You would be honest, yet appropriate. I think some other tributes use the same method with their escort or stylist or District partner."

He's quiet for a bit.

"Why are you up? How did you get here?" All the obvious questions have begun to hit me.

He shrugs. "I was angry with my family. It was a few days ago, just after you won and Thresh died. I was really upset and everyone in my family acted like nothing had happened. The whole district was so happy you won that they weren't bothering to mourn Thresh's death. So I hitchhiked here. It was hard, not many cars or any other modes of transport I can sneak onto go from 11 to the Capitol. I wanted to get to you. Once I got to the Capitol, it was easy. I'm good with locks. And I'm good at hiding and following people."

I laugh. "It sounds creepy when you put it like that."

"It's weird," he says, "You seem so much older than me. But you're a year younger. Why is that?"

"I don't know. Everyone wants me to be older. They want a mature victor, I guess. I'm not what they want. Even though the Games made me feel really old, I'm still not the ideal, beautiful, heartbreaking, talented victor the Capitol wants." I pause. "I think the Games age everyone a bit."

"You may not be what the public wants, but if you change for them, you won't be what the people who really care about you want anymore. We'd better go. I shouldn't be here, and you have that interview tomorrow."

I'm disappointed when I get back to my room. I liked talking with Plough. I wonder where he will sleep tonight. He suits his name, ploughing reminds me of spring and new beginnings, before anything is planted. This is the start of a new stage in life for me.

Maybe now I've made a friend that will help me get through it.


	16. Chapter 16: Interview

My escort is irritated that I slept in, though I can't see why when the interview is in the evening. Of course, it is because my prep team have to fix me up again.

They start right after breakfast, and inform me I will not be having lunch today in order for them to carry out the preparations. Not surprisingly, the dress is too mature for me again. This time, it is an extremely short, pale blue dress with no sleeves. It is almost too tight for me, and I have to hold my breath while the prep team does up the buttons in the back.

All too soon, the interview time comes. I wish, not for the first time, that the Capitol didn't insist on doing live shows. Then it could be fixed if I mess up.

Fortunately, there is no audience. This relaxes me a little. I am taken into a little sitting room where there is a seat for me and a seat for Caesar Flickerman. There are vases of red, pink and white roses on any table. The smell is too strong, and it fills the room as if someone sprayed perfume in my face.

When I come into the room, Caesar pats my shoulder, clearly I am too young to be considered an equal and given a hug like the other victors, and I sit down.

"Congratulations, Rue. How are you faring?" he asks.

"Much better," I say, referring to the fact that I endured several days of youths murdering each other, then I realise that he is talking about the Tracker Jacker incident. The response works either way.

"Great. Let's get started."

Someone counts backwards and just like that, we're being broadcast to the whole country. My mother will be watching, and so will Seeder, though she is watching from across the room rather than on television. Like the whole of District 11 will be.

That thought scares me, so I push it out of my mind.

Caesar starts like he usually does, joking about and things like that. He asks me what happened when I was cut off. I choose my words carefully, trying not to lie without really telling the truth.

"I don't know where the Tracker Jacker sting came from, but it was only one and small enough that I didn't hallucinate." An idea comes to me. Everyone thinks I can't do anything- if I were killed by the Capitol's orders, they could easily make it look like an accident. However, if I show them that I'm not the sweet little girl they think I am, they might think twice before trying to get rid of me. "I sort of… lashed out… and…"

"And?" Caesar prompts.

"And I stabbed someone…" The words are new on my tongue. They sound strange in that order, in my voice. That's not what I do.

Caesar laughs. "I find that difficult to imagine. This person is alright, I presume?"

I am irritated that he would assume that just because it's me, but nonetheless he is correct.

"Yeah. I just got them in the shoulder."

He laughs again. It makes me mad.

"Then I rolled up my sleeve, I don't remember what my intentions were but I think that my Tracker-drunk mind wanted to be the same as Thresh."

He doesn't laugh this time. I think I surprised him. No, I _know_ I did. I can see Seeder shake her head, just the tiniest bit out of the corner of my eye, so I stop there. The Capitol doesn't need to be reminded about how close they got to having no victor.

"Just kidding," I say. "They put me to sleep before I did anything that drastic."

Caesar gives an exaggerated sigh of relief and moves on.

"How does it feel to be one of the youngest ever to win the Hunger Games?"

Simple enough question. I could go into detail, but I don't.

"Exciting," I decide on.

"You had some pretty traumatic experiences out there, what with Katniss and Thresh. How do you feel about them?"

Feelings, feelings. I either have none or everything at the same time.

What would I say to Plough?

"Both of them helped me as they died, but that makes me feel really guilty, like it was my fault. Katniss only went in the first place so her sister wouldn't have to go because her sister was my age. I'm sure her sister hates me because I could have been the one to die if we had switched roles, then she probably would have won. Thresh could have killed me but he killed himself to save me. I could never do that for someone else. It makes me feel like a bad sort of person."

"You are a lovely person, don't forget that!" Caesar encourages me. "Thresh always seemed hostile towards everyone except you, why do you think that is?"

What would I tell Plough? The truth. But what is it?

"He treated me like a sister." When I say it, I know it's true. "He trusted me and it was mutual trust. He would have given his life for a sibling. "

He wipes a pretend tear from his eye. "That's very moving."

"I haven't checked this with their families yet, but I've told my mentor this. I'm going to send some of my victor's gifts to Thresh's and Katniss's families each year."

"That's what I mean, Rue! You can't possibly be a bad person if you do things like that! You got a sponsor, so someone clearly thought you were worth helping."

He's wrong. The tissues and mints were practically a joke.

"One person. No one else thought I would win. Not even Seeder thought it was worth looking for sponsors, so no one would have cared if I hadn't won."

Caesar looks me in the eye and puts his hand on my shoulder reassuringly.

"Everyone wanted you to win. Even the other tributes. No one knew if you could pull it off. But you proved to everyone in the country that you could. You are more than just a girl who no one volunteered for. You are the sort of person people become rebels for."

It was an innocent enough comment, but I wonder if it holds more meaning than he is letting on.

"Is there anything you wish you could change about yourself?" he asks. It is quite random. Most of the questions are in this interview. I think it's because Caesar – or whoever wrote the outline – assumed that I wouldn't be mature enough to answer the usual deep ones. I realise I am fighting my own mini-war against society. I can spark a threat, but I myself am not a threat. What I talked about earlier will hopefully change that.

"I wish I was a funny person."

He raises his eyebrows questioningly.

"I wish I was the sort of person that people wished was around to liven things up. I wish I could make people laugh and smile with the smallest and simplest of comments."

"Everyone will want you about to liven things up now, won't they?" he grins.

I guess so, but not for me. For the thought of a famous person being there.

What claim to fame do I actually have? I managed to stay alive. Millions of people manage to do that every day. Those millions of people don't get rewarded for it. They get punished with more of their children being taken away.

"What is the first thing you're going to do when you get home?" Caesar continues.

Have a proper talk with Seeder about how much trouble I'm in. I can't tell him that, so I tell him what I would tell Plough. "Go to sleep in my own bed. Then I will have a massive group hug with my five brothers and sisters."

He laughs. "I'm sure they are very proud of you."

"I suppose," I shrug.

I doubted that my parents would let them watch the Games. I wasn't allowed to watch it until I was ten, and even then my mother would make me leave the room if it got too violent. I didn't really know what to expect when I got reaped. I guess that was good: I wasn't as terrified as I would have been if I'd known what was coming.

"Last question. Do you have any ideas for what you're going to use as your talent?"

This one is easy. "Music. I love singing. I've always wanted to play an instrument. Maybe we can afford one now."

"That would be very sweet," he agrees. "Do you have anything else to say?" he asks.

"No. Thank you for all your support," I say, perhaps sarcastically, but even I can't tell now.

Caesar signs off and everyone is laughing and hugging and crying. A silent tear trickles down my cheek. A tear of happiness; I haven't forgotten what that is yet. It's over now. I can go home. I have the Victory Tour in a few months, but until then it's goodbye to the Capitol and my annoying prep team.

I pick up my woven necklace, my token. I don't remember it being taken away from me. It must have been when I was in the hospital.

My mother puts her arm around my shoulder and gives it a squeeze.

"They put a fold-out bed in your room on the train. I'll be sharing with you, probably the last time you'll have to share a room. You can have your own room when we move into the Victor's Village."

The thought makes me smile.

I'm going back to District 11.


	17. Chapter 17: Visitors

I have been home for almost a year when it happens. The Victory Tour has happened and passed. Soon it will be time for another Hunger Games. The Third Quarter Quell. I don't look forward to it. At first I had thought I would, knowing what it was like I could watch it with different views, looking out for different things. But now it's closer to the time, I do not want to see it. I don't want to see the pain again.

Also, it will be a lot worse this time. The tribute will be victors this year. It was announced on TV a few weeks ago. At first I was scared that I would be sent back in again, but Seeder and the few other female victors of District 11 promised me that if I was reaped they would volunteer for me. They said I was too young to go through this all again so soon.

And you know what? I don't mind being "too young". It's good for the Capitol to think I'm too young; maybe they'll rethink the idea of the Games with people like me getting put in danger.

There is a ring at the doorbell. Three of my siblings rush to the door; they still haven't gotten over the novelty of doorbells. I push them out of the way and usher them into the living room.

I open the door and see four people there: two I sort of recognise.

They are Haymitch and Cinna. Katniss's mentor and stylist. Cinna is holding a small bundle.

The other two take me a second to figure out. One is a small girl with pale skin and hair. The other is a much older boy with dark hair. I vaguely recognise seeing them at the reaping last year. The girl, I think, is Katniss's sister. I can't think of where I know the boy from.

"Hello," I say, politely. "May I help you?"

Katniss's mentor opens his mouth to speak, but her stylist stops him.

"Hello Rue," he says. "I'm Cinna, one of District 12's stylists. This is Haymitch, the only District 12 victor. You've probably seen the two of us before."  
I nod.

"Great. This is Prim," he points at the girl, "her sister was in the Hunger Games last year. I believe you knew her, Katniss her name was. This is Gale." He points at the boy.

"I'm a family friend," interjects Gale. "Also, I was Katniss's boyfriend for a short time."

Boyfriend? Katniss hadn't even mentioned Gale when I'd known her.

I see Prim shakes her head ever so slightly.

I'm so confused. What are they even doing here?

"We'd like to talk to you," Cinna continues.

I start to open the door a little to let them in.

"We'd prefer to go on a walk to talk to you. We haven't been to District 11 before, it's very beautiful. I've made you a dress, by the way. I'd appreciate it if you'd wear it."

"Thank you," I say instinctively. He hands me the bundle.

"Prim, why don't you go help her put it on?" he says.

"Would you three like to come in while I'm getting changed?" I ask, still confused.

"No, we're fine, sweetheart," Haymitch snorts.

I lead Prim upstairs to my bedroom. Such a novelty to have stairs: our old house only had a kitchen, a bathroom and a slightly larger room that could have been a living room if we hadn't used it to sleep in. Perhaps Prim would be living in a house like mine if Katniss had won instead.

The dress that Cinna has given me looks almost the same as the one Prim is wearing. It is frilly, but not in too much of a girly way. It suits the both of us. Hers is a paler colour, to contrast less with her skin. Cinna really knows how to make anybody look good.

I don't actually need help putting the dress on, but I'm glad that Prim and I are alone.

"What was Gale talking about?" I ask.

She sighs. "Since Katniss died, he's been telling everyone things that weren't true to get sympathy. It's partly for his own selfishness," she spits out the words, "and also partly because it makes people in the Capitol send us food every now and then. Not often enough to make it worth it, I think."

I wonder if he'sstarting to believe it a bit, too.

When I have the dress on, Prim attaches a pin with a mockingjay on it, just like Katniss's. That's when I realise she is wearing one as well. I wonder if it is Katniss's pin, or a new one. I decide not to ask.

We go back downstairs and I tell my parents that I'm going for a walk. We go back out the door to where Gale, Cinna and Haymitch are waiting for me.

We walk a little way from my house, and I cannot stand it anymore.

"What's going on? Why do you want to talk to me?"

Haymitch sighs.

"In short, you weren't supposed to win. Katniss was supposed to win and become the Mockingjay."

Cinna interrupts him. "Rue, because Katniss is no longer with us, we want_ you_ to be the Mockingjay."


	18. Chapter 18: Rebels

"What?" I try to keep my voice down.

I have no idea what they mean by "the mockingjay". I know what a mockingjay is, but clearly I am not a bird. Are they going to somehow turn me into a bird? Like the mutts I saw in the arena? The thought makes me shiver.

Prim holds her finger to her lips.

"It's really secret. We're rebels. The Mockingjay has become a symbol of rebellion, and we want you to represent it. You can't tell anyone, not even your mother."

"Your house is probably bugged," Cinna explains. "That's why we took you out here. There's always the possibility that the Capitol planted tiny microphones in your clothes as well, that's why I gave you the dress which only I have handled. You can keep it though. It looks good on you."

I blush a little despite myself.

Cinna continues. "We have a lot to tell you. Haymitch will explain."

"Well, sweetheart," Haymitch starts. "You have probably seen on television reports about District 13?" I nod. Everyone knows it was destroyed years ago. "Well, District 13 still exists. People live there. A lot. Maybe more than in this District." I find that shocking. District 11 is one of the biggest. "The people there are planning a rebellion. But they need inspiration. That's where you come in. you will be their inspiration."  
"How?" I don't want to state the obvious, but I'm barely a teenager. I'm not exactly ready to lead a rebellion.

"Just be yourself," Gale shrugs.

"But it's not like they're going to be able to see me, is it? There aren't cameras in my house or anything?"

Cinna sighs. "Yes, and no. There probably are cameras in your house, but they are planted by the Capitol, not us. There may not be any. We don't know. That's why we took you out here, in case of hidden microphones or cameras. Come to think of it, we probably shouldn't have let Prim inside the house with you. We only brought Prim so it wouldn't be three strange men appearing at your door. But what's done is done."

They still haven't answered my question.

"How are the people from District 13 going to see me, 'being myself'?" I repeat.

"You're going to be in the Quarter Quell," says Prim quietly.

I shake my head. "The other District 11 women said they'd volunteer for me. I'm not going. I don't want to and I know I couldn't handle it."

Haymitch smiles. Not happily. Not even evilly. But it's an unsettling smile.

"You are coming to the Quell. You think you aren't now, and later you'll still think you're not, but you're coming."


	19. Chapter 19: Reaping

The four of them left soon. I was sad to see Prim go, I had liked her, the others I didn't mind leaving.

The reaping was the next week.

My mother dresses me in the same clothes I wore to the reaping last year. Seems like a bad omen to me since I was reaped last time I wore them. I don't say this, though.

I needn't have worried. The escort pulls the slip of paper from the bowl, and Seeder's name is chosen. Chaff is chosen out of the male victors. He was Thresh's mentor last year. Both our mentors were reaped: is this a coincidence?

I feel guiltily triumphant. I am sad that Seeder is going back, she's probably too old to survive, but it feels sort of "I-told-you-so" towards Haymitch.

I go to see her before she is carted off to the Capitol.

"See you later," she says.

At first I think she means that she hopes to win, then I become sad because she might mean that we'll see each other in the afterlife or something. As I walk out the door, it occurs to me that maybe she means that she'll see me in the Games. But that's silly, because I'm not going.

At home, we all gather in the living room to watch the reaping from other Districts. I have not watched many Hunger Games, so I do not recognize very many of the tributes. I recognize Finnick Odair from District 4. He is the heart throb of the Capitol, so even though I was only a few years old when he became a victor I have seen him many times since then. I also recognize Johanna Mason. She is the one that Seeder showed me lots of footage of last year: she wanted me to try to copy Johanna's strategy of acting weak. She realised this wouldn't work because, unlike Johanna, I actually am weak, but it was still worth keeping in mind. She told me that my only hope was to ally. I wasn't going to at first, but then I realised that Katniss was really nice. I'd tried to forget that it could come to down to just the two of us at one point, but in the end that didn't matter.

I am offered a seat, but I choose to sit on a cushion on the floor. All my brothers and sisters are squished together on the large sofa, and each of my parents sits on a chair. My grandparents sit together on the smaller sofa, right behind me.

Our house is big enough for all of us, which we all love. We even have spare rooms here; we use them officially as "guest rooms". What we really use them for is to take in sick or hungry people, give them a place to stay for a few days where they have a chance to get better. We don't advertise this, as there are far too many hungry people in our District to take care of: we would run out of space, and probably get into trouble with the Capitol.

We watch through all the Districts, and by around District 5 my siblings get bored. A couple of them sit on the floor with me playing Snakes and Ladders. I am not really watching the game, I roll the dice when they put it in my hand and move my counter, but really I am focusing on the television. Each time someone wins, we start the game again to keep the younger ones occupied.

It reminds me of the Capitol; showing them the Games each year to keep them busy and not bored.

When we get to District 11, all the family goes quietly to watch. We see me and the other victors in the roped off area on our own. We all look reasonably calm. I find this surprising, considering I was a bag of nerves at the time, wondering what Cinna and the rest might do.

Seeder looks lovely. I don't even know how she managed to smile that genuinely when her name was reaped.

My parents are about to turn off the television and start making dinner, but I ask if we can watch the District 12 reaping too. I'm intrigued to see what they are going to do, as only Haymitch is going to go. Will they reap another non-victor? I sense of dread flows over me for a second and I am not even sure why.

For some reason, they put Haymitch's name in the bowl anyway. The District 12 escort, Effie Trinket, pulls his name from the bowl. Obviously.

An interviewer is at hand, how odd. They aren't normally interviewed until they meet Caesar.

"You don't have a District partner, as there are no other District 12 victors," he says.

Haymitch snorts. As if he didn't know _that._

"President Snow has a solution to this," the interviewer continues.

"Ah, yes," says Haymitch.

"You have been given choice between any of the female victors to accompany you to the Games. Which will you choose?"

No!

I leap up.

"What's wrong, Rue?" my mother asks.

"Hmm," Haymitch pretends to think. He must have known about this beforehand.

I can't believe this is happening.

"How about last year's young victor, Rue?"


	20. Chapter 20: Hiding

Everyone in the room turns to look at me. I don't want to hear what they have to say; I don't think I can handle their sympathy without crying. I turn and run out of the room, and out the door.

Are they coming to get me? No one has ever been reaped at home before. Am I supposed to turn myself in?

I run down the street to Seeder's house, then realise how stupid that is. Seeder was taken earlier today. There is no one else that I felt as comfortable to be with, with possibly one exception.

Plough. He hadn't been in the Games so he won't understand what it will be like the way Seeder would, but his cousin was there so he understands what going back can mean. We haven't got to see each other very often since I have come home, as he is almost always working in the fields.

I had originally decided that I was going to keep working in the fields. Soon I discovered this wouldn't work: I had too many "duties" as a victor. It was especially busy for the first few months, with interviews, autographs, and the Victory Tour, but it was a little better now. Even so, I was told by a peacekeeper that it isn't really in the spirits of a victor to work in the fields. So I don't; I don't want to make the Capitol angry, as I have seen what they can do. I sometimes give Plough food though, if I see him.

I know where he lives, so I run through the streets until I get to his house. Everyone had the day off work, of course, as they are all supposed to watch the reaping.

I knock on the door. Plough answers it and ushers me into the front room quickly, checking to see that no one saw him let me in. He understands my panic to some extent. He pushes me into the room at the back of their house, which serves as both a kitchen and a living room. There is only one tiny window half way up the wall, so it isn't likely that we'll be seen there. His parents are sitting on folding chairs, and they look up to see me. I am pretty sure his parents wouldn't have approved of approved of me had we been friends last year. As a victor, however, they are very polite to me. I can't tell if this is because victors are supposedly respectable, or if it's because they are scared I'll kill them if they are rude. We've already established that I can't kill anyone, for goodness sake.

"Would you like something to drink, Rue?" his mother asks.

I am about to say no, but then I realise how thirsty I am and how heavily I'm breathing, both from fear and exhaustion.

"Water, please," I manage to gasp.

There are only three little, wooden chairs in their house, as they rarely get visitors. Plough lets me sit in the chair that he normally sits in. His mother hands me a cup and I drink the water gratefully.

When I am finished, Plough starts talking to me.

"What are you going to do next?" he asks.

I hadn't really thought about it. I just knew that I would be found easily at home.

"I was sort of hoping-" I stop, realising how much it would be to ask to stay with them. It would be a great risk to them, furthermore they have no room.

But I have nowhere else to go.


	21. Chapter 21: Parade

There is a knock on the door. I stand up too quickly, knocking over my chair. Looks of horror appear on Plough's parents' faces.

They'll get arrested. How stupid I was! This was one of the first places that people would check to find me. Everyone knows Plough and I are friends/

Plough stands up shakily. He leaves to room to answer the door.

I creep over to the door of the room we're in to listen. I hear people, peacekeepers presumably, asking him if I was here. They asked to take a look around. Plough starts objecting and I hear a slap.

I can't stand it.

I push the door open and walk into the front room.

"Please stop," I beg. Plough is holding his hand to his cheek.

"Is there anyone else here?" one of the two peace keepers asks.

Plough nods his head. "My parents. But they didn't know she was here. I didn't tell them because they would have turned her in." He makes them sound like law abiding citizens. They are, to some extent, but we've all broken down in times of hunger.

One of the peacekeepers takes hold of my shoulder.

"It's time to go to the Capitol," he says. I nod. There's no point in struggling. Each of them is stronger than both me and Plough put together.

The peacekeeper steers me away from Plough's house and towards the train station. I turn a little to look back just in time to see the other peacekeeper hit Plough over the head with his gun. I see Plough drop to the ground and I panic and scream but the peacekeeper takes hold of my other shoulder tightly so I can barely move except in the direction he wants me to. I manage not to cry. That's a first.

I expect the train ride to be long and lonely, but it isn't really. I discover that since I am an honorary member of District 12, I am treated as though I am a normal District 12 tribute. There is a long train ride to District 12 to meet with Haymitch, then a longer one to travel to the Capitol. Haymitch, Effie and I have meals together, and it doesn't take me long to figure out that Effie knows nothing of the rebellion. I discover that Cinna is going to be my stylist, which makes me happy despite everything else. At least I can die pretty.

Effie leaves the room during dinner soon before we are going to get off in order to wave at the crowds. I glare at Haymitch. He knows why.

He rolls his eyes. "You're not going to die."

How can he possibly know this?

"I promise you will go back to District 11 alive and safe."

I don't say anything. Partly because I don't believe him.

He doesn't even get a chance to elaborate, because Effie comes rushing back in and everything happens very fast. We are quickly ushered to get ready for the parade: we could not take a direct route because of me, so we are about a day late.

Effie introduces me to my prep team: Venia, Octavia, and Flavius. Their names fly over my head; they mean almost nothing to me. The three of them coo over how small and sweet I am; it makes me feel stupid. They are essentially the same as last year's prep team: they don't have individual personalities, but all merge together as one being who is "A Prep Team". They tell me how hairy I am like last year; they wash and comb out my hair, all the time chattering about how they want to portray me.

Fortunately, it's up to Cinna what I look like. As soon as he enters the room carrying a heavy looking suit bag, the prep team all stop fussing over me and stand next to each other, as if awaiting orders from a general. He tells them that they may go and turns to me.

"I'm sorry that you had to come here," he says. He says no more, so I guess he thought people might be listening in. If there was a possibility of hidden microphones in my own house, there would definitely be some here in the Capitol. We can't talk here.

"We're on a tight schedule," he says. "Change into this." He hands me the suit bag. I open it up and look inside.

Since I'm part of District 12 now, I get to wear coal related clothes. If I'd had another stylist, I'd probably have dreaded what I'd have to wear. Because the stylist is Cinna, I am not disappointed.

At first, I think I am simply wearing a black jumpsuit. After I have put it on, Cinna places a heavy black crown on my head. He taps a button inside my wrist and points me to a mirror.  
"Have a look. Portia and I spent a lot of hours watching fires. Haymitch is wearing a similar outfit. I'm reasonably satisfied with the outcome."

I look into the mirror and cannot speak.

I look as though I am on fire, burning up and threatening to scorch everything around me. Cinna has made different shades of red and orange and yellow rise and fall like coals on a fire. My crown now appears red-hot. I don't look like a little girl who won the Hunger Games last year by chance, but a ruthless rebel.

"I'm sorry, we don't have time to do any make up," Cinna continues. "Not that you need it. Can you walk in heels?"  
I nod.  
"Wear these then. We want you to look taller."  
The shoes are higher than the ones I wore last year, but I manage to just about walk in them without hobbling. Cinna turns off the light show. It is going to be stunning.

"Don't smile or wave when you're in the chariot. This year the Games aren't very popular, not even in the Capitol. Let them know that you don't approve of them either."

I go down to the Remake Centre and wait for Haymtich to appear. I feel awkward standing among the victors. Not exactly a bad awkward: I feel pure. I am the only one out of them who is not a murderer. This also makes me feel unsafe.

I feel a hand slip onto my shoulder, sending a shiver down my spine. I can tell who it is even before I see him. It is Finnick Odair.

"I liked watching you last year," he purrs. From anybody else, this could sound innocent enough. I'm sure a lot of people enjoyed watching me last year, as many people enjoy the Games. Coming from Finnick, however, it makes me feel sick. My parents won't tell me exactly what Finnick does, but he has a reputation of being popular among women. Not necessarily. I feel vulnerable, being the youngest tribute once again.

It scares me what Finnick has become. He must have seemed innocent at one point, being the youngest in the Games he won. Now he makes people swoon just by looking at them. Will I be like that in ten years time?

Will I be alive at all in ten years?

I push the thought out of my head and his hand away.

"Sorry," he says lightly, like he doesn't mean it.

Thankfully, I am spared from having to reply by Haymitch appearing. He looks grumpy, which I think is due to the fact that Portia wouldn't let him have any alcohol.

"You ready?" he asks, but he sounds as if he doesn't care. I wonder if he does, deep down.

"I suppose," I reply.

He takes my hand. It doesn't feel creepy, like it would if Finnick was holding my hand, but it sort of makes me feel safe. I close my eyes and pretend it is the hand of somebody I trust: Thresh, my father, one of my brothers, Plough. It gives me the strength to go through with the parade.


	22. Chapter 22: Training

Training starts the next day.

During breakfast Effie, Haymitch and I talk tactics. First Effie congratulates the two of us for making such an impact. I am sad that we did not look as good as Peeta and Katniss did last year; they looked great with both Cinna's talent and their own chemistry. Haymitch seems more like a fatherly figure to me, but even that is a stretch. My father is much kinder than Haymitch, and since my father remains sober most of the time he also looks better. Also, I barely know Haymitch. After Effie's comments on the parade, we begin to discuss how we should act in the training. We don't have a mentor, so it's up to us. Effie gives suggestions, but she doesn't have our experience. She is, however, in charge of getting us sponsors, which is normally the mentor's job.

"I want you to make friends with as many people as possible," Haymitch tells me. "We need a lot of allies. I'll go for the older ones: Beetee, Wiress, maybe I'll try to even get Enobaria on our side. You talk to Johanna and Finnick. You could try talking to Cashmere and Gloss, but I'm not sure I trust them."

I am not sure I trust Finnick or Johanna, though. Johanna has used up her innocence tactic; I don't know if she will be a valuable member of our team since everyone knows she is ruthless. Or maybe I'm just kidding myself so I don't have to talk to her. I am a little confused, though. I would have thought Haymitch would want us to ally with the other rebels, if there are any among us. Maybe that is what he is saying, but he is saying it in a way that Effie will not catch on.

"Can I try to ally with Seeder and Chaff?" I ask.

Haymitch nods.

"They can't really refuse you."

Cinna and Portia come in when we are almost finished eating and hand us training clothes. They are simple; they look very similar to the ones I wore last year. I go into my room and get changed. When I come out again, Haymitch is changed too. Effie has a mockingjay pin in her hand. She pins it onto my shirt.  
"I'm so glad we managed to get this back!" she exclaims.

"What do you mean?"  
"It's a shame that that girl last year had to die. At least her badge didn't go to waste!"  
With the realisation of what she means, I almost feel sick. This was Katniss's pin. Does it mean nothing to Effie except that it's pretty?

The pin would, however, show other rebels that I was one of them.

Effie rides the elevator down with us to the gym, but Haymitch does not let her come in with us. There are very few people there, and we arrived just as Atala starts to give us a brief description of each station. I can't use my climbing skills to impress the gamemakers this year, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet. I wonder what some of the older tributes are going to do, like the morphlings. Most of them have no skills, or if they do then the showed them off last time they were in the Games.

I am not sure what to do, so I go to the archery station first. I wonder how Katniss felt when she picked up her bow and arrows. I try shooting a few targets, but am not very good at it. I give up and move onto another station.

Seeder and Chaff are not here yet, but Finnick and Johanna are. I see a bit too much of Johanna; each time I see her she is wearing fewer garments. I keep feeling Finnick's hand on my waist, seeing him wink at me, feeling him knock into me accidentally-on-purpose. I don't feel like talking to naked Johanna or creepy Finnick, certainly not to ask them to be my allies.

I go over to the knots and snares station. A really old woman from District 4 is there. She ignores almost everything the instructor tells her, and keeps making fishhooks. She's really good at it, making them out of almost anything. I remember how Katniss set a trap last year, and I wish I could do something like that. I explain to the instructor what I mean and he nods and tries to teach me. Suddenly, I feel arms hugging around my waist. I'm sick of this.

"Please stop," I say softly, angrily. I put Finnick's arms away.

The instructor is not supposed to get involved with the tribute except to teach us skills, so wanders over to the old lady and attempts to make her create a snare. I glare at Finnick.

"I just want you to-" he stops to think of the right words. "Like me."

"Why?"

"I'd like to ally with you."

I snort. "Why didn't you just ask in the first place?"

He gives me a wry smile. "Most people tend to think my body talks better than my mouth.

"Would "most people" include thirteen year olds?"

He laughs. A genuine laugh. Not some fake seductive one. "I didn't think of that."

He reaches his hand towards me and I flinch a little. It wasn't necessary though; all he does is touch my pin. It's subtle, but I understand. He is a rebel too.

He introduces me to the old woman, Mags, who is his District partner. The three of us agree to be allies. I like Mags, she seems selfless. I worry that I will want to protect her in the arena, though. I also worry that she will try to protect me. I hate the thought of people dying for me, whether it's Katniss, Thresh, Mags, anyone.

I have achieved part of what Haymitch told me to do, but not all. Seeder and Chaff have arrived now, so I go to talk to them. Seeder hugs me tightly and apologises over and over that she did not stop me from coming here (not that she could have done anything about it). She asks me to ally with her before I have a chance to say anything, and of course I agree. Chaff already has wandered off, but he and Haymitch are friends so I hope that Haymitch will talk to him.

Over the next two days, I talk to a lot of the tributes. I don't dislike any of them; I actually end up liking a lot of them. I still do not know what to do for my private session, and I still have not worked up the nerve to talk to Johanna.

I sit in the room that we wait in before our private sessions. I am shaking and nervous. I hate going last. District 12 goes last for everything, and I hate it. I don't like waiting; it makes me more and more nervous. The only plus side to waiting is that I can think of what I'm going to do.

The District 7 male tribute is called and Johanna is left alone. She gets up and sits in the empty seat next to me on my right. Haymitch nods at me from my left. He has managed to ally us with Beetee and Wiress, as well as Chaff. He knows that this is probably the last chance I'll have to ask Johanna.

"Don't be nervous," she tells me.

I'm glad she's making conversation as I wouldn't be able to. She is a lot less scary with clothes on.

"I don't know what I'm going to do, though," I say.

"Me neither," she grins at me. I grin back. She seems nice. "Tell you what, do something that will scare them. Or impact them. Something that will pull their heart strings. I'll do the same."

"Okay," I agree.

"Johanna Mason, District 7!" calls out a peacekeeper.

"Good luck!" I tell her.

"Thanks, you too." She stands up. "By the way, would you mind being my ally?"  
"Sure!"

Haymitch nods his approval. Then Johanna is gone. I wonder what she is going to do. I have a bit of an idea.

I keep waiting and soon Haymitch's name has been called and I am the only one left. I wonder what he is going to do. I have formulated exactly what I am going to do, and I wouldn't be surprised if they gave me a 0 for it,

When my name is called, I stand up and walk as calmly as possible into the large training room.

Since I won the Games last year, I have been having singing lessons. My singing teacher generally only taught me acceptable songs, but I managed to persuade her to teach me a couple of forbidden songs, like the Hanging Tree and the Meadow Song. I decide to sing the Meadow Song.

I turn to face all of the gamemakers.

"Deep in the meadow, under the willow

A bed of grass, a soft green pillow…"

I turn away from them and walk over to the plant identifying station. I keep singing.

"Lay down your head, close your eyes…"

I look through the plants. There is a specific one that I'm looking for.

"And when you wake up, the sun will rise…"

I find it. Circular white flowers with purple seeds. Arrow shaped leaves that remind me of Katniss. She is named after this plant, after all.

"Here it's safe, and here it's warm,

And here the daisies guard you from every harm…"

I walk back over to the gamemakers cradling the katniss. I get as close to them as possible, which is difficult to do with a force field between us (which I do not think was there last year). Although they are listening, I am no longer singing to them. I am singing to Katniss herself.

"And here your dreams are sweet,

And tomorrow brings them true…"

A single tear drops from my chin to the floor.

"Here is the place where I love you."


	23. Chapter 23: Martyrs

"For the interview, I am going to make you look as young and innocent as possible," Cinna tells me the next morning. "We have to tone your reputation down after you got a 12 for the private session. So you are having no make-up, flat shoes, a dress that's age appropriate. Here," he hands me the suit bag. "Try this dress on to see if I need to make any adjustments before tomorrow. I based how it looks on a little bird called a blue tit."

I do. It is heavier than it looks. It is beautiful though. The skirt of the dress is knee length and layered with yellow fabric, which looks light and fluffy when I put it on. The bodice is thick and blue with sleeves which reach to my elbows. It does remind of a blue tit; I sometimes saw them when I was in the trees. They would never sing to me and were not particularly friendly, but they were pretty and did not cause harm.

"It's beautiful," I say. "Thank you."

After an hour of learning manners with Effie, she realised that my manners were decent enough. Even though I do not come from an upper class area of District 11, I have always tried to be polite. It is a simple yet endearing quality that takes almost no effort with all the reward. That's what Effie told me, anyway. She was pleased to see I do not need coaching.

So now I have a free day to do whatever I please. I have almost nothing to do: I have very few friends here and most of the ones I do have are discussing what to do in their interviews.

Thinking of friends reminds me of Plough. What happened to him? I don't know if he is dead, or if he is hurt, or if he has been arrested, or if he is safe. I wish I knew. It's horrible not knowing. At least my family will know that I'm dead if I die in the Games: I will never find out what happened to Plough. I remember how we met up on the roof and I feel nostalgic. I want to go up there again.

I go out of my room and into the hall. The District 12 rooms are on the top floor, so I am a little closer to the roof than I was last year. I go up the stairs at the end of the hall and am greeted with a warm rush of air as I step out onto the roof. It is a beautiful day and I almost forget about the awful interview I will have tomorrow.

I sit in the sun and suddenly feel very lonely. Even though Plough and I met under completely different circumstances, being here makes me ache inside. I consider leaving, but I decide not to. There is nothing else for me to do at the moment. Although a part of me is sad, I also feel strangely happy. This could be almost the last sun I ever see, I don't know if the arena will be dark or tundra, and I want to see everything I can while I can. The sun, the stars, the moon, Seeder, ladybirds, mockingjays, the fields, trees, smiles, my siblings…

"Hey," I hear a voice behind me. My heart jumps at the thought that it could be Plough: of course, it isn't. I turn and see that it is Johanna. "What are you doing up here?"

"Effie thinks my manners are okay so I was given the day off," I grin. "Is it the same for you?"

She sits down next to me and laughs.

"My escort gave up on me when I got out my axe. She said I probably remember everything from last time. I have no clue what I'm doing tomorrow; I can't pretend to be innocent because they all know what I'm like now," she sighs.

I don't know what I'm going to do either. I don't know if Haymitch has even planned anything, so we move on.

"I've been wondering," she starts. "What did you do in your private session to gain a twelve? We haven't really seen each other since then."

A small, triumphant smile tugs at the sides of my lips. I've been wondering the same about her; she got twelve as well.

"I sang a song and dedicated it to Katniss."

Johanna looks impressed.

"That puts what I did into proportion then," she says. "I didn't do anything. I walked in and didn't know what to do so I just cried. I told all the gamemakers that I hated them and that I hoped the Capitol fell to the rebels. I'm surprised I didn't get killed on the spot, to be honest."

I am, too. Crying would have been fine. She would have gotten a low score and everyone would have thought she was attempting to repeat what happened before, but no one would really care. But because she complained about the Capitol, told them they were wrong, the gamemakers will try their best to kill her in the arena.

And me as well.

"I'd like to ask you something I've been wondering for a while."  
"Sure, go ahead," she nods.

"Why did you ally with me? I'm the youngest and least experienced here. I've never killed anybody. I don't even know why I'm here."  
Johanna puts her arm around my shoulder.

"That's why. I know exactly how you feel. I've been the youngest in the Games before as well. So has Finnick. Although, admittedly, we did kill a few people, when we first got reaped we both had no idea what we were doing. We both knew we had no chance. And we hate the fact that you have to do what we did twice. Neither of us are the youngest anymore, and we both have killed enough to not throw up at the thought of it." I blush. "We want you to live. We all do, all twenty three of us. It's not something we agreed, or something we chose, but we all came into this assuming that we should protect you. You don't belong there any more than a penguin belongs in a desert."

"Are you saying you're a cactus?" I joke.

"If you're saying that because cacti are prickly and can fend for themselves, then yes."

We both laugh. I always seem to bond with people on this roof.

The next day the prep team fluffs around me again. I wish each of them at least had a personality, but they don't.

Cinna comes in and shoos them away like chickens. He hands me the beautiful dress. This could be the last dress I ever wear.

I pull it on. Cinna has made it easy to put on, I just pull it up around my body and Cinna zips it up. It is all so simple compared to last year; my dress from last year's interview had to have things pinned onto it after I'd already put it on, plus my hair had to be done. Cinna has let my hair free: it is not messy, but not formal either.

When he is finished, Haymitch comes in. I feel relieved at the thought of someone, even him, giving me a little guidance. He is wearing a suit which has a mockingjay woven onto the coat pocket. Portia didn't make anything complicated for him, but it is effective.

"I have something for you," he says.

Cinna puts up his hand to stop him.

"Let me finish first," he turns to me "The dress may seem quite heavy, so don't put your arms above your head until…" he trails off.

"Until what?" I ask curiously.

Haymitch steps forward. He presses something cold and heavy into my hand. A handgun.

A shiver goes through my spine. I can't imagine where he got it, or what I of all people am expected to do with it.

"President Snow is attending the interviews this year," Haymitch begins. How did he find this out? "He will be sitting next to Caesar Flickerman. He won't ask any questions. He is just there to "observe". We think that he hopes that all of the tributes will be well-behaved if he is next to them."

"What am I supposed to do?" my voice quivers.

Cinna puts a hand on my shoulder.

"You have to kill Snow."

I am speechless. They know I can't kill someone. But that's why it has to be me: if a little girl who couldn't even stab someone when her life depended on it shoots someone, that's saying something about that person, isn't it?

Cinna goes on, "When Caesar comments on your dress, twirl around. Then shoot Snow."

It seems like an unusual order of events, but I nod. I cannot think of anything worth saying.

Waiting to go onstage is nerve wracking. The gun is in a perfect sized and perfectly hidden pocket that Cinna must have made with this gun in mind. Johanna gives my hand a squeeze. Nobody talks. I am terrified.

When we are on the stage, the interviews start. I don't notice what each person says; I am watching Snow the whole time. I feel like he is watching me too, but then I tell myself I am just being paranoid. I can't help but feel that he looks a little off. Not quite normal. I haven't seen him in a year and people in the Capitol can change drastically in that amount of time: I tell myself that is the explanation.

When I stand up for my turn, I hear a muffled "good luck" from Haymitch. I don't want to fail him or Cinna, yet I don't want to have to do anything like this.

Shakily, I sit down across from Caesar. The audience sees how nervous I am, for whatever reason they think, and there is a fuss. That's when I realise that the audience has been collectively crying throughout everyone's interviews.

Caesar looks tired for a split second, but quickly regains his posture. Him being the professional he is, I wonder if anyone saw that except me.

"Hello Rue, it hasn't been too long since I saw you last."

I shake my head solemnly.

He is running out of things to say, and I am too anxious to help him out.

"You look even prettier than you did last year, though," he says.

Is that the signal? "Yes, Cinna is very talented."

"He is! The colours of your dress remind me of something."

I answer before I stand up. "Cinna based it on a blue tit, a type of bird."

I lift my arms above my head and twirl around.

A second later, I can smell smoke. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see fire. Real fire. The fire engulfs my dress, burning it up. Cinna must have done this. I hope that I won't be naked, but he wouldn't have made me naked on national television. Would he? He does like to take risks.

When I stop, I look down, and see that it would have been less of a risk had I been naked. My blue and yellow dress is gone. In its place is a dress made of black, smoky feathers. It can only represent a mockingjay. This is what I am wearing to shoot President Snow.

I close my mouth which I just realised was open, and see that Caesar's jaw is gaping as well. Snow has kept his usual calmness. His eyes are deadly.

With intent, I say: "Even a harmless bird can become a mockingjay."  
I pull out the gun, the pocket is still there, and pull the trigger.

"For Katniss and Thresh and Plough," I say.

I can't help but hesitate.

Behind me, I hear a voice.

"For Annie!"

It's Finnick. Is he supporting me? I turn my head and see he has a gun, too. As do all the other tributes.

Suddenly, I hear twenty three voices at once. Some people say things I can make out, some of the morphlings say things I cannot understand. Some people say names I recognise; most do not.

"For Marvel and Glimmer!" I hear Cashmere say.

"For Tweed and Jute! For Bobbin!" says Cecelia. I suppose she is talking about her children. I wonder if most people in District 8 are named after fabrics and sewing equipment.

"For Rue!" Seeder catches my eye.

"Maysilee," I can just make out Haymitch muttering.

I don't know how long they are going to keep this up. All of us are shouting names not just of martyrs, but of people affected by the Games in any way. I hear some of the people in the audience joining in: who'd have thought that the Capitol people could get so attached to certain tributes?

I only have three minutes in an interview and my finger is aching from holding onto the trigger. I catch Finnick's eye – people tend to follow Finnick – and he understands. He pulls his trigger too, and the other tributes follow suit. I hope that they understand what I'm doing when I nod my head three times: it's a count down to signal them when to shoot. Some of them get it, other don't and shoot a second later.

But each and every one of us shoots.

I have my eyes closed. I can't bear to look. It wasn't just me, but it was still me.

I loosen my grip on the gun and open my eyes.

Snow is still standing there. I am confused; with twenty four of us shooting at once, some of them with target training, at least one of us must have hit him. I step forward and reach my hand out to touch him, but my hand goes through.

He was just a hologram.

Caesar is speaking quietly and urgently into a communicator that was previously concealed up his sleeve. He tells the audience that we are going to have to finish there, and there is no mistaking the panic in his voice. We didn't kill Snow, but we showed everyone that we intend to.

The curtain goes down; I didn't even know that there was a curtain. It's a lot dimmer now. I hear a hissing noise. I turn around; everyone else is in a huddle and I am alone. I begin to walk towards them when I smell something weird.

Johanna pulls the neck of her dress over her nose. "Don't breathe it in!" she yells.

Are they gassing us?

I cover my nose and mouth like Johanna instructed. So does everyone else, but it's no good. One by one I see them fall. Are they unconscious or dead?

After a few seconds I feel drowsy. I collapse into blackness. It feels warm and dark and safe.

**Author's Note: I'm horrific at using this website so I'm not entirely sure how to respond to reviews, but Annabeth- TheTributeThatLived made a review recommending me not to retell all three of the books and I want to say something about that. I just wanted to say that that it occurred to me that if I did that then it would become pretty dull, so don't worry because I've tried to do my own thing (although I have delved a bit into Catching Fire but I have attempted to put my own twists on it). I'm actually getting quite near the end of this fanfiction, sadly :(  
Thank you to everyone for your lovely comments! c:**


	24. Chapter 24: Games

I wake up on a sofa in the Launch Room.

It isn't the exact same as last year's room but it's still recognisable. I look around for Cinna; my stylist was with me here last year. Cinna isn't here. Panic fills me. I am alone.

I must have been asleep all night. I know that if they hadn't drugged us, we wouldn't have got any sleep last night because of fear. Everything that happened seems so long ago. I have a moment of realisation: Snow did not cancel the Games. I am going back. In a few minutes time, I will be in the Arena again.

I find the clothes I am supposed to wear folded on a table. There is a tight thing, like a cat suit. It is blue, with a thick, purple, plastic belt. There is also a pair of rubber soled shoes. Sitting next to the clothes is my token from last year, my little woven necklace. I guess they wouldn't have let me use a mockingjay pin. It would have just been a reminder of our "bad behaviour". The thought of the Capitol having to make petty excuses to cover up our episode makes me feel proud of this year's tribute pool.

I take a shower, as I won't be able to easily bathe in the Arena. I change into the clothes on the table and fasten my necklace around my neck. I don't know what to do next. I would like some company. Cinna is probably off being questioned or tortured. Maybe he is already dead. I try not to think about it.

I consider smashing everything and breaking everything in the room, generally making a mess of it. Just to be annoying. There's no point though: The Launch Rooms are only used once.

So I just sit and wait.

A voice comes through the speakers, telling me to get ready. I mount the plate like I did last year. I feel myself go up. My eyes sting as I see the bright sun. There is water all around me. This is a problem: I can't swim.

I glance at Finnick, he can swim. Mags probably can too. The majority of us can't. They have a massive advantage.

The countdown starts. Finnick nods in the direction of land. I move my arms and shake my head to tell him I can't swim. He points at the purple belt. Will it help me stay afloat?

He goes through the same motions with the other people we are allied with. There are quite a few now. I count them in my head.

One, Finnick. Two, Haymitch. Three, Johanna. Four, Seeder. Five Chaff. Six, Mags. Seven, Beetee. Eight, Wiress. Nine, me. That's over a quarter of the tributes. With an alliance this big, other people hopefully won't try to attack us. Some of us, namely me and Mags, aren't exactly scary, though.

I am thinking this when the gong rings, signalling the beginning of the Games. I hesitate for a second but then force myself into the water, hoping that Finnick knows what he is talking about.

The belts float. My belt keeps me just high enough that I can keep my head above the water and breathe. I try kicking away from the Cornucopia, towards the land that Finnick wanted me to go to. I see he is already well on his way; a few others are going as slowly as me.

I want to see if the water is drinkable, so I swallow a mouthful. I immediately regret it. It barely tastes like water at all, and it leaves my throat burning. I feel sick, but keep kicking.

Johanna and I reach the land at about the same time. She gets out and retches several times.

"Did you drink some?" I choke.

She nods. Finnick and Mags, who were already on the shore, laugh.

"It's salt water. You can't drink it," he snorts.

While we wait for the others, Finnick shows us what he got from the Cornucopia.

"You swam to the Cornucopia, took part in the Bloodbath, and swam back here in the time it took me to swim here?" mutters Johanna. "How embarrassing."

Finnick has not got much. He only has a couple daggers and a trident, plus he shoved two bottles of water in his pockets. It's not enough for nine of us.

Seeder flops out of the water onto the sand. Her appearance reminds Finnick of how many of us there are, and he says, mournfully, "I couldn't carry any more."

Johanna takes one of the knives as Beetee and Wiress appear.

"We have to tell you something," Beetee says.

"We have a…" Wiress doesn't finish her sentence as usual.

"A plan," Beetee finishes. "Well, it's our part of the plan. Haymitch organised part of it. We'd better wait for him."

"I'll get him. Chaff too," Finnick runs into the water and swims to get them. It will be quicker with him helping.

After a few minutes he is back, dragging Chaff. Haymitch is holding onto Chaff's ankle and taking advantage of Finnick's speed. The three of them chatter out a story about how Chaff thought Finnick meant for him to take the belt off so he sunk, and Haymitch tried to help him while Brutus tried to stab them and it was a good thing Finnick got there when he did.

"Let's walk. We can explain while we're walking," says Beetee, quickly moving on.

We all begin to walk away from the water. The water makes a sort of circle, the beach is a further band around the circle, and we assume that the trees are the same. Walking through the woods is a little nerve wracking; we don't know what to expect.

Beetee excitedly explains the "plan".

"Haymitch has organised a District 13 hovercraft to wait for us outside the force field. Every force field has a sort of chink in the armour, and I believe we can get through that."

Wiress nods in agreement.

"We will have to be quick. We are on our way there now. It will be a long walk."

"It took me a day or so travelling time," interjects Haymitch. He must mean that when he was in the Games he went to the edge of the Arena. "I was younger then, as well."

"We're going to need more water," says Seeder.

Johanna suggests that we could get water from sponsors.

Haymitch and I shrug.

"We don't have a mentor," I point out. "I don't think Effie will be very good at getting us sponsors."

"Let's conserve it while we can," says Wiress.

We walk in silence for a while. The thought of all of us getting out alive makes us all feel less hungry and thirsty.

We all jump when we hear a twig snap a few metres behind us.

"It's Cashmrere and Gloss!" yells Finnick. "Run!"

We don't need to be told twice. We all run in slightly different directions, while still running towards where we hope the outline of the force field is.

I outrun most of them. I reach a small clearing, and everything is suddenly silent.

"Johanna?" I call. "Finnick?"

I whistle the four note tune that I once used to find Katniss.

"Johanna! Finnick!" I hear someone say, as if imitating me, then the same whistle.

"Who was that?" I ask. I turn around but there is no one there.

"Who was that!" I hear, so I turn around again.

I wonder if I am surrounded. If people are trying to scare me. They've achieved that then; I'm terrified. But I cannot see any people around me.

Then I hear the screams.

At first I don't recognise who they are. Then I hear my mother's scream. Then my father's, and my brothers' and sisters'. Then I hear Plough screaming, and his family. I hear Katniss and Thresh screaming, and no matter how irrational that is, it is horrific. It sounds like they are being tortured. I hear all my allies screaming as well. Every person I've ever loved or cared about, their shrill voices fill the air.

I fall to the ground. I feel like I've been broken in half.

"Rue!" I hear Johanna say. It's softer than the other voices. It's not a shriek. Somehow I can hear it above the other screams. I look up and Johanna is there.

I throw my arms around her and she hugs me back.

We sit on the ground and she holds onto me, protecting me, until it stops.

"Why were you okay?" my voice shakes. "Couldn't you hear it?"

She keeps holding onto me and strokes her fingers through my hair. To soothe me, I suppose.

"You hear people that you love. They've already killed everyone I care about. I only heard one voice. I knew that person was safe though."

"Whose was it?" I ask, curiously.

"Yours."


	25. Chapter 25: Hovercraft

Johanna and I keep hugging each other until the rest of our alliance appears behind us.

"We couldn't get through to you two," Finnick explains. "There was a sort of wall that kept us in a different section of the arena. Wiress said that there were jabberjays through here."

Johanna nods.

"They imitated the screams of our loved ones. It's a good thing you weren't in there, Finnick. You'd have heard Annie."

He looks sad.

"She's had enough screaming for one lifetime. I can't wait to get back to her."

Haymitch tugs on Finnick's sleeve like a impatient young child.

"If you want to see Annie again, then let's go."

Before we continue walking, Finnick let's Johanna and I have some water. We are given a ration of three small sips each. Johanna tries to make me have four and she will settle with two, but I refuse to take her ration.

We keep walking until we reach what looks like a cliff. It is not as steep on the other side as it looks; we could roll down it safely.

"Don't go near the edge," Haymitch warns. "You'll be fried."

"There…" Wiress points.

"Is that the chink in the armour of the force field?" I breathe.

Beetee and Wiress nod. Around it, the force field shimmers. The hole is too small for even me to fit through; it'd be too dangerous. They all have already prepared for that, fortunately.

Beetee, it turns out, stole a lot of wire from the Cornucopia. He has kept it in his pocket just for this. Wiress has some too. While the two of them tie the wires together to make a longer wire, Finnick gives everyone some more water. He gives Mags a little more since she is older and she seems to be more worn out from the walking.

Seeder ties one end of the wire to one of the daggers, and stabs as high as she can into a tree at a sharp downward angle. All of us pull on it, and the wire is strong enough that it des not snap. The dagger does not come out of where it is stuck.

Finnick has tied the trident to the other end of the wire. He aims at the side of the gap, and throws the spear.

Before my eyes, the force field around the hole shakes like a ripple in water. The gap gets bigger, big enough for any of us to get through. It opens up right to the ground, which will make it easier to move through.

"Just to be safe," Finnick warns, "Hold onto the wire. It is mostly in the middle of the chink, so if you hold onto it you probably have a better chance of not touching the force field. Does anyone want to go first?"

No one volunteers. Although we all want to go home, it doesn't feel real. We don't quite believe that this will work.

Haymitch sighs. "I'll go first. This was my idea."

He holds onto the wire as a safe guideline. He ducks down a little, probably because of slight paranoia as he is not very tall. He makes it through easily.  
"Wait a minute," I say. Everyone turns to look at me. "For a start, what we are doing is forbidden and illegal. So the gamemakers are going to be after us. Also, there haven't been any canons recently, so no deaths. The Capitol is going to be bloodthirsty. That means something will be sent our way, and I don't want to find out what. I think we should do this as quickly as possible."

Everybody agrees. They make me go next. I'm a bit scared that I'll be electrocuted, but I'm not. Mags is next, followed by Seeder, Chaff, Wiress, and Beetee. Finnick insists on going after Johanna.

And all of a sudden we are all out of the arena. We are all safe and alive, all nine of us. I'm terrified it won't last. I'm worried that the hovercraft will not come for us, and the other tributes will kill us here.

I needn't have worried, because we have not waited five minutes before we see a massive hovercraft appear in the sky above us. It is ten times bigger than any of the Capitol's ones, and has a big red "District 13" painted on its underside.

A rope ladder is dropped down. We climb up the rope ladder in the same order we came through the force field. Just as Finnick is holding onto the bottom rung, Brutus appears. It only takes him a few seconds to figure out what we did. It is a lot harder than it looks to climb a rope ladder, but I move as quickly as I can. Someone from District 13 starts to pull the ladder up so Brutus cannot chase us.

A young girl is one of the people helping to pull the tributes onto the hovercraft. She pulls me in and I recognise her.

"Prim!" I cry.

We hug each other tightly.

"You made it!" she exclaims.

"Move out of the way," says an older boy who I recognise as Gale. "There are still a lot more people to come up."

Prim grabs my hand and we weave among the people from District 13. She runs up two, then three flights of stairs. The hovercraft is even bigger on the inside. It reminds me of a flying hotel.

"We weren't sure who was going to make it," she says, breathlessly. Now we are away from where all the action is, it is a lot less busy. I can take in my surroundings more. We are walking along a long corridor, which has a window scaling it, giving me a view of the arena. The arena is shaped like a clock.

The corridor has nice wallpaper with flowers on it. It takes me a second to realise that they are katniss flowers. The carpet is soft and thick and red. Prim waits for me to take off my shoes because I want to walk barefoot. I'm embarrassed at first, but she laughs and tells me that she did the same when she first arrived.

"We couldn't watch the Games on television, so we had to guess who was going to come. I don't think Mags has a room, but we'll sort something out. There are quite a lot of spare rooms."

She flings a door open and pulls me inside. The room has a large bed pushed up against the wall on the left, and another identical one on the right. There is a table pressed against the wall by the door, surrounded by four chairs. It reminds me of the rooms on the train to the Capitol; small, but luxurious in its own way.

"I insisted that we share a room. I know you'd hate to be in a room on your own after coming out of the arena. And look," she continues chattering, "There's a connecting door to your friend's room."

I am about to ask who she means when the connecting door opens.

"Plough!" I gasp in delight.


	26. Chapter 26: Snow

"Plough!" I throw my arms around his neck and kiss him on the cheek.

He turns a bright red and Prim giggles.

"Oh my gosh, Rue," Prim exclaims. "You must be _starving_!"

My stomach rumbles as I realise I haven't eaten in a long time. Did I even have breakfast earlier today in the Launch Room? I haven't eaten for about two days.

"I'll ask someone to bring us dinner," says Prim, then rushes off.

Plough and I sit at the table.

"I thought you were dead! How did you get here?" I ask, excitedly.

"Gale was in District 11 when they took you away. He was supposed to come and take me to District 13, so he came to my house, a few minutes after you'd left, dressed as a peacekeeper. Gale told the peacekeeper that he would take me to be turned into an Avox and could save him a trip to the Capitol. I was unconscious at this point, but I woke up on this hoverdcraft and they told me what happened. I've been on the hovercraft since the day I last saw you. They checked me for a concussion and things like that, and I'm fine."

I'm so relieved.

Prim comes in the door with Johanna.

"Someone from the kitchen is going to bring us some sandwiches," she says.

Johanna grins at me. "I had to find you. I've come to eat with you guys." Johanna and Prim sit down in the empty seats.

Prim turns to Plough. "Have you told her about…?"

He shakes his head.

"What?" Johanna and I say at the same time.

Plough sighs. "The leader of this whole operation still wants you to kill President Snow."

"The leader?" I'd always sort of assumed Haymitch was the leader.

"They have to remain anonymous for some secrecy act reason. We don't know much about them, but they have sorted out everything since last year. They organised this hovercraft, and organised the guns to be given to the tributes. We trust whatever they say. Anyway, the leader wants you to kill Snow. For real this time."

"You're supposed to be dropped off at Snow's mansion tomorrow," adds Prim.

"_Tomorrow_?" I gasp. "That's so _soon_!"

"I don't think Rue should do it," says Johanna. "She only just got out of the Games. She's worn out, physically and mentally."

Prim shrugs. "It's not us that think she should. It's orders from District 13. You're having a good night's sleep tonight and good meals tomorrow, so you won't be too tired."

The sandwiches are delivered by somebody I do not recognise, who I guess is from District 13. We eat in silence. Johanna and I are very hungry and eat a lot. When we are finished, we are tired since we've been walking all day. Johanna goes to her bed and is sad to leave me even though she is just next door.

I sleep in my clothes, though I am offered pyjamas. It feels safe to have Prim across the room from me and Plough just through a door.

I sleep until after noon the next day. We have brunch since I missed breakfast, and Johanna joins us again.

"I'm going to do it," I announce.

The three of them look at me in surprise.

"Too many people have died because of Snow. He has caused so much hunger and pain and it isn't fair. If I have to end it, I will," I try to sound braver than I am.

After I agree to this, everything becomes very busy. I am given a "ninja suit", as I decide to call it. It is a black stealth suit to keep me hidden while sneaking around Snow's mansion. I am given another gun, too.

I also have a proper briefing with President Coin, the head of District 13. She gives me a map of Snow's house, and I am asked to memorise the basic layout and the route I'll take. She also tells me to learn where guards will be posted so I can be on the lookout. I take an hour or so to do this. Then I am fed dinner, given one hour to relax, and then I am stuck on the rope ladder again and lowered onto the roof of Snow's mansion.

It is very dark, but I have a tiny flashlight which I use to find the door to the rest of the house.

When I have got through the door with the key I was given on the hovercraft, there are lights in the halls. I tiptoe down the corridor. I plan to shoot President Snow while he is in bed. That will be the easiest.

I turn a corner and bump into someone. At first I am terrified, but then I see it is an Avox.

She looks me up and down.

She mouths the word "help" questioningly. I nod. She nods too, and moves out of the way for me. I smile at her gratefully, and carry on walking.

I get to the door of the master bedroom. I touch my fingers gingerly to the handle to turn it.

A loud alarm rings out. Of course he's protected!

I duck into the room next door. It's dark, but I know from the map that it is the study. I can make out Snow's desk in the middle of the room; a big mahogany one with a covered back. I hide under it. Anyone who just walked into the room and viewed it would not be able to see me. From the front, they might. I pull the chair in a bit so I am more hidden.

I will have to stay here all night. When he comes into his study in the morning, I can shoot him then.

When the alarms have died down, I hear the door open and a familiar voice speak in a hushed whisper.

"Rue? Are you in here?"

"Plough?" I whisper into the darkness. It was a stupid thing to do; it may not even be him.

I hear him walk around the desk. I can see a silhouette bend down in front of me. I shine the flashlight at its face.

"It_ is_ you," I whisper.

"Yes," he takes my shaking hand. "I didn't want you to have to do this alone."

"Did you get orders to come here?" I ask.

"Nope. I told you the first time we met: I'm good with locks." I can hear it in his voice that he is smiling. That doesn't explain how he got off the hovercraft, but nevertheless I am glad he is here.

He curls up next to me under the desk.

"Now we should wait until Snow comes," he says. "You go to sleep. I'll stay up."

I cannot sleep. I hold tightly onto his arm all night.

In the morning, I suddenly worry that Snow may not use his study very much. Maybe he will not come in here for a month, and we will be waiting here until we starve.

My worrying is interrupted when I hear footsteps in the corridor outside.

I pick up the gun, but in that moment I know I can't do it. I can't kill him. I've never killed anyone, not even in the life-or-death situation of the Games. Nothing in my brain or heart has ever given me the ability to take a life or hurt anything.

"I can't do it," I whisper to Plough.

"You have to!" he hisses urgently. "This isn't some little ginger girl from District 5. This isn't an old lady from District 4. This is the man who has caused pain all our lives. No one will hold it against you for killing him."

"I will," I mumble.

"It's too late to change your mind. We're here. We're stuck. Unless he gets killed, we're dead." He pauses. "Do it for Thresh."

"Help me," I plead.

He looks down at the gun in my right hand. He puts his left hand on the other side of the gun.

"I will."

The door opens. I stiffen. He hugs his right arm around my shoulder tightly.

We hear footsteps walk towards the desk. The steps come closer. The chair is pulled back and the two of us are staring straight up into the face of President Snow. He looks strangely amused at us being there.

Plough lifts his left hand so that the gun is lifted. His forefinger guides mine to the trigger. I close my eyes but open them again.

Then we shoot him. Together.

**Author's Note: OOOOOO there is only one chapter left now. I know it's all kinda abrupt but when I started writing the fanfiction I was really excited and into it, but near the end I started losing interest and just wanted to finish. Sorry about that!**

**Again, I cannot thank you all enough for all your lovely comments 3**


	27. Chapter 27: Memories

Twenty years have passed since we killed President Snow and overthrew the Capitol. After Snow was killed, the Capitol was left vulnerable and District 13 easily took over. President Coin became the president of Panem, and she is a good leader.

Plough and I have a little girl called Katniss, who we nickname Kat, and an older boy called Thresh. We live in a house near where the Victor's Village used to be: a set of houses built by District 13 workers. My grandparents live next door, and Plough's parents live nearby. It's near the fields, where people still work. They work happily and are treated and paid well.

We have told the children our role in the revolution. We are not proud of it; other people are proud, but for us it simply makes a good story for Kat and Thresh. I could not have shot Snow alone, so I am grateful Plough was there to help me.

Our children are allowed to play at the edge of the fields in the sun. The kids play tag and hide-and-seek mostly, but sometimes play pranks on the people working in the fields. The workers don't mind though, as there are much worse games to play.


	28. Chapter 28: Epilogue Alternate Ending

**The first chapter of this fanfiction is not very well liked. That's probably something to do with the fact that I killed off most people's favourite character, haha! I wrote this as an alternate ending for anybody who wishes Katniss had survived. (Note: In my eyes, Chapter 27 is the end. This was just for fun.)**

**At the moment, as I'm revising this chapter, I'm sitting in the house that I was in when I read "The Hunger Games" for the first time. I guess that things finish where they began and all that.**

**I hope you enjoyed this fanfiction and thank you so much for reading!**

There is an unexpected knock on the front door.

"Thresh! Can you get the door?" I yell. We aren't expecting anybody, so I don't know who it is. I'm getting Kat dressed now that she's had a bath.

Thresh runs in a worryingly eager way to the door. Internally, I groan. I can't even trust him to answer the phone without saying something silly.

I sling Kat under my arm and race Thresh down the hall.

"I'll answer the door. You take care of Kat," I plop Kat on the ground and she waddles over to him. For some reason, though he cannot be trusted to do anything, he is always well behaved around his sister. I brush myself off and open the front door.

In front of me is a ghost.

It looks very real. I could probably reach out to touch the brown side-braid. She has on the same blue dress she wore to the reaping the first time I saw her face. That was on screen, of course. The first time I met her was a few days later. The gray eyes stare into mine, and it feels eerie. This person died years ago. I practically _saw_ her die.

"Hello, Rue," says Katniss Everdeen.

I stand there gaping at her.

"I think you're probably a little surprised to see me."

A _little surprised_? That's a huge understatement.

"You're dead!" I yelp.

"Clearly," she rolls her eyes. "I'll explain what happened. May I come in?"

It seems unsafe to let a ghost into your house, but I hardly have a choice. I show her into the living room, where Thresh has got out some building blocks for Kat.

"Katniss, this is my son Thresh," I introduce her.

She doesn't comment on our name choice. She offers him her hand, and he shakes it suspiciously.

"And this is my daughter… um, Katniss. Kat for short."

"Hello Kat," she says, kneeling down to Kat's level. Kat looks up at her with wide eyes. "We have the same name," Katniss grins at her. Kat nods.

"Leave them to play," I say. "Please tell me how you're still alive."

We sit down on the sofa, watching Kat and Thresh out of the corner of our eyes.

"Before I start, who is their father?"

"Plough. You probably don't know him. He helps out in the fields sometimes, like today. Thresh was his cousin," I explain.

"Thresh? The boy who helped you after I "died"?"

I nod awkwardly.

"Awesome. About that, by the way. It was all very painful, being blown up against a tree. And losing a leg, don't ever try that. It was very painful at the time, very painful after the surgeriesn, and even now it itches and I can't scratch it." She pulls up her skirt a little to show that her foot is artificial up to the knee. "I don't actually remember much of that, to be honest. I was knocked out when I hit the tree. My heart may have even stopped. When I was pulled up onto the hovercraft, they check you over to make sure you really are dead. Apparently, it's happened before that people aren't actually always dead. Whenever it's happened before, they've just been executed quietly, by an injection on the hovercraft on the way back to their District. I was lucky. Plutarch Heavensbee found me; he was a gamemaker and a rebel. He managed to smuggle me to District 13, where they patched me up and made me healthy again. Then I was made in charge of the rebellion."

Things are starting to fit together.

"So it was you," I say. "You were the one who ordered me to kill Snow."

"With some influence from President Coin, yes. Though I made the majority of the decisions and plans, ultimately everything that happened had to be passed through her. She would request an operation, and I would organise it. In return for doing all this, I was given my life."

She hadn't explained one thing.

"Why did you wait so long to come see me? For twenty years I thought you were dead," I feel a little irritated that she lead me on like this.

"I had to stay hidden for twenty years. It was for safety reasons; if there was a rebellion from the Capitol a couple of years after they were overthrown, they couldn't target me if they didn't know I was alive. As a precaution I was hidden completely in District 13. My mother and Prim knew I was alive, but no one else. Besides Plutarch and Coin and people involved with saving me, I mean."

Prim kept this from me for so long.

"But now," Katniss says brightly, "I am allowed out and about and can make my own life. I'm probably going to go and see how Gale is doing. I heard he moved to District 2, I think. I really want to make something of my life."

Doesn't she realise? "You already have!"

She sighs. "In political terms, yes. But I never wanted to be a rebel during my teenage and young adult years. I want to have a family and have friends and have fun. And I want to be able to see you."

I reach my arms around her and hug her tightly.

"I missed you so much," I whisper.

"Me too," she replies.

Then she says, "You really lived up to your namesake. I'll bet anything Snow rued the day he created the Hunger Games."

We both laugh at her silly pun.

But Katniss is alive. It's really Real.


End file.
